Bario Highlands: Kelabits want access

Kelabits want access
By Stephen Then
Friday October 31, 2008

MIRI: The minority Kelabit community in the Bario highlands of northern Sarawak will ensure that the building of a 300km mountain-logging road will not destroy the terrain’s ecosystem, said the Kelabit National Association.

Part of the Bario highlands, located near the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, had been alienated for selective logging, said association president Gerawat Gala.

He said the logging project had the blessings of his community members who lived all over the highlands.

They had given approval to timber giant Samling Corporation to manage this long, winding logging road from the summit of Bario to Miri, said Gala.

He added that the Kelabits, a minority ethnic group in Sarawak, had taken part in the decision-making process before the projects were approved by the Sarawak government.

The community would ensure that utmost care be taken to prevent damage to the Bario ecology, he said.

“We recognise that government authorities had licensed part of the highlands for selective logging and have decided to cooperate with the authorities and Samling Corp to ensure our community benefits from the improved accessibility.

“We value our environment and are mindful of the need to ensure continued sustainability of our forests. As a community, we have worked well with the timber company in addressing various issues that affect us.

“The logging road is needed as, without the link, we cannot realise the development potential of our people,” he said.

Recently, concerns were expressed by environmental watchdog group Borneo Resources Institute over the opening of Bario for the projects.

Ba’Kelalan state assemblyman Nelson Balang Rining said the road was needed to bring down prices of goods and fuel in Bario and prevent shortages.

The institute’s Sarawak coordinator Raymond Abin had the Bario-Miri logging road may result in more highland forests being logged.

Abin’s fears may be true, but Gala said the logging would not cause much harm as the timber felling would be done via selective logging.

“Our community will not allow our forests and mountains to be destroyed. We will work closely with the timber firm to ensure our forests are sustained,” said Gala.

Asked about the size of the area allocated for logging, Gala said he did not have exact figures.

On how his community would ensure no major damage would be inflicted by the logging, he said that Samling Corp had assured this to his people. --- The Star News