Indigenous Communities Win Temporary Halt to Palm Oil Deforestation in Malaysian Borneo

Indigenous communities in Malaysia’s Sarawak state have achieved a significant, if temporary, victory in their fight to protect ancestral forests from palm oil development. Following sustained pressure from Penan and Kenyah residents, Urun Plantations has agreed to pause land clearing operations in the disputed Long Urun region of Malaysian Borneo.

The conflict highlights a troubling contradiction in the palm oil industry: Urun Plantations holds sustainability certification, yet local communities accused the company of clearing natural forests that should remain protected. While the plantation maintains its clearing activities were legally compliant, satellite imagery documented ongoing deforestation within the company’s concession area. The moratorium came after the Glenealy/Samling Belaga Mill—the last remaining facility within 50 kilometers still purchasing palm fruit from Urun—suspended sourcing from the plantation.

The community’s success stems from a coordinated campaign by Indigenous rights groups SAVE Rivers and The Borneo Project, which pressured international palm oil giant SD Guthrie (formerly Sime Darby Plantation) to halt purchases from the mill. SD Guthrie, one of the world’s largest certified sustainable palm oil producers, responded to the advocacy pressure.

However, the victory remains incomplete. Local resident Eileen Clare Ipa from Uma Pawa village reports that while tree cutting has stopped, the company continues planting oil palm and maintaining previously cleared areas. “I want the company to leave that area,” Ipa told reporters, reflecting the community’s desire for complete restoration of their traditional lands rather than just a temporary pause in destruction.