Borneo’s indigenous punan people race to save ancient medicinal knowledge as rainforest disappears

Deep in Borneo’s vanishing rainforests, the Punan people have practiced traditional medicine for countless generations, treating ailments with remedies drawn from their natural pharmacy of trees, plants, and herbs. But this irreplaceable knowledge system—passed down orally through families—faces extinction as deforestation and modern pressures threaten both the forest ecosystem and the cultural traditions it sustains.

Researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia recently partnered with thirteen Indigenous Punan guides in Malaysia’s Sarawak state to document these endangered medicinal practices before they’re lost forever. Published in Tropical Conservation Science, their findings reveal a complex “spider web” of botanical knowledge where each plant species carries deep cultural significance beyond its healing properties.

“When a plant species disappears, it’s not only a biological loss,” explained lead researcher Keeren Sundara Rajoo. “It also erases part of a community’s heritage and traditional knowledge system.” The Punan communities, who live in traditional stilted longhouses along Borneo’s rivers, maintain distinct languages, belief systems, and festivals—even when separated by just 25 miles from neighboring tribes.

This research highlights a critical conservation challenge: protecting Indigenous knowledge requires safeguarding entire ecosystems. As Borneo’s rainforests face mounting pressure from palm oil plantations, logging, and development, the race is on to preserve both the medicinal plants and the generational wisdom that has sustained the Punan people for centuries. The loss of either threatens to break an ancient chain of healing knowledge that could benefit not just Indigenous communities, but medical research worldwide.