Exploring the relevance of engaging the Orang Asli in Malaysia’s forest management

Abstract

The positive social and environmental outcomes of involving local and indigenous people in environmental management have made their inclusion in forest management increasingly considered. However, in Malaysia, where indigenous forest-dependent communities, known as the Orang Asli, are not yet involved in forest management, their significance needs to be empirically recorded. This study aims to investigate the relevance of involving the Orang Asli in Malaysia’s forest management. The study employed a participant observational study at Kampung Tanjung Rambai, an Orang Asli settlement located in the Malaysian state of Selangor. Dwelling with the community and engaging in their forest-based lives for a course of 1 month have managed to capture their current relationships with the forest, which were then analyzed to determine their roles as meaningful stakeholders. The results show that the community has maintained a relationship with their land that may ensure the prudent use of resources. Furthermore, their forest-based lives can be regarded as small-scale disturbances in the forest ecosystem, which are necessary for maintaining resilience.

Psychological Resilience among Orang Asli Youths in Selangor during COVID-19 and Its Associated Factors

“…It could be due to the remote area settlements in KOA Bukit Lagong and getting tucked away in the forest’s depths, which designed a more conducive natural resilient habitat. These findings matched the observational research findings at KOA Kampung Tanjung Rambai in Selangor, Malaysia ( 43 ). Because their livelihoods depended on the ecology of the forest, the study found that the community maintained a link with their land, encouraging resource restraint with minimal disruptions and enhanced resilience.…”

Indigenous engagement challenges and carbon mitigation activities in Malaysian forest policy

“…Hence, comprehensive participation of all landholders in forest carbon initiatives emerges as a viable strategy for sustaining forests. Malaysia necessitates legislative refinement concerning permanent forests and their conversion to alternative lands, underscoring a specific focus on promoting carbon credit production, thereby requiring the engagement of all landholders (Diansyah et al, 2022). These measures align with Malaysia's aspirations to preserve and safeguard forest cover.…”

“…Paradoxically, despite their cultural and material proximity to forests, the indigenous people of Malaysia often find themselves 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1362330 disregarded in practical forest management. Prevailing trends in forest management and development initiatives tend to neglect, and in certain instances, displace Orang Asli communities, rather than addressing the specific requirements of forest-dependent communities and recognising the multifaceted value of forests beyond economic considerations (Diansyah et al, 2022). In order to foster improved forest conservation and management characterised by enhanced equity and inclusivity, it is imperative to integrate indigenous communities into both existing and prospective carbon mitigation mechanisms.…”

Sustainability and Semantic Diversity: A View from the Malayan Rainforest

“…Being the traditional inhabitants and custodians of the area, the Jahai are faced with a steady stream of visiting outsiders in the form of loggers, traders in forest products, conservation officers, decision makers, environmental scientists, conservationists, and ecotourists, all of whom share an interest in the forest, albeit for diverse reasons (Kamal, 2020; cf. Diansyah, Abas, & Sakawi, 2022). Jahai forest experience is in demand by these outside players, and community members are frequently recruited as laborers, guides, trackers, observers, and consultants for a variety of forest‐related activities and inquiries.…”