By: Claire Anthony

• Indigenous peoples hunt mostly for subsistence, which hasn’t disturbed the ecological balance of the forest for generations.

• Laws that criminalise hunting make it difficult for indigenous people to participate in the economy, as they are not able to earn an income on what they hunt.

• A better consultation process with indigenous people is needed before wildlife and forestry laws affecting them are imposed. 

• Sustainable lifestyles could curb the demand for forest products that threaten wildlife, indigenous people and their land.

Modern wildlife laws in Malaysia seek to protect species by criminalising hunting, which is a way of life for many indigenous communities. Whilst this seems like a clash between conservation of animals and of culture, community organiser Dayoung Shaniera Seliman, of the Semai tribe, explained that Orang Asli – the collective name for Peninsular Malaysia’s indigenous people – only hunt for their immediate needs. 
“We still hunt as a source of food, using traditional methods and just take what we need. It’s outsiders who come in with guns and poisons and take as much as they can," she said, adding that her people have taken care of the jungles for generations without creating imbalance.

Dayoung was speaking at an online discussion titled “Indigenous peoples and wildlife conservation in Malaysia”. Dayoung was joined by Noraini Nasaruddin of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan), Universiti Malaya anthropologist Kamal Solhaimi Fadzil, and R.AGE journalist Elroi Yee. Around 200 global members of the public joined the session which was moderated by R.AGE editor Ian Yee.

Watch the full discussion:

Noraini shared that Peninsular Malaysia’s conservation law, the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, has a clause that permits the Orang Asli to hunt 10 species of wildlife. In addition, they are allowed to forage for other non-timber forest products lIke honey or rattan.

However, the Act stipulates that wildlife hunted by the Orang Asli can only be for their own consumption, and cannot be sold or traded. “We did get feedback from Orang Asli groups when we came up with this list,” she said, “but it’s not possible to reach everyone.”

Kamal, who has worked with and studied indigenous communities for over 15 years, believes that this fails to appreciate the complexities of their lifestyle. “They hunt for food, for subsistence, yes, but also for income generation,” he said. “They are part of the economy and use money for things like phone credit or petrol – just like we do.”

He suggested that there was a need to create a better method of consultation with indigenous people, on matters of forestry and wildlife that will directly affect them. Whilst Noraini shared that only 44 of Perhilitan’s 6,479 arrests for wildlife crimes between 2015 and 2019 involved Orang Asli offenders, Kamal gave examples of how people are still negatively affected by law enforcement.

“We met a man who was caught by the fisheries department for illegally catching fish for a third party. They didn’t arrest him but they confiscated the fish. Not only did he not earn anything that day; he lost money, as he had borrowed to get the job done."

Group participants suggested that communities could be driven to do this kind of work when their land is no longer providing what they need. Today, indigenous communities must compete for land and forest resources with large, powerful plantations – and even disgruntled translocated elephants.

"The Federal and State governments really need to consider how land is being used and allocated. Not coming up with a solution for this is like genocide," said Kamal, if the Orang Asli were to be forced from their land or to abandon their lifestyle in favour of development. 

Download the experts’ presentation slides here.

Elroi also reminded participants that it's not just a job for the authorities. 

"Our lifestyles affect what happens in the forest – consumer demand is driving the continued extraction of forest products, so why don't we curb that demand and live more sustainably?"  

The Zoom discussion was the third of a four-part interactive wildlife series presented by the Environmental Reporting Collective. To join the final session, click the register button below:

2 July: Traditional Chinese Medicine and the demand for endangered wildlife Register