WWF: We can learn forest management from the Penans

KUCHING: Stories from the Penan community living within the Kuba’an-Puak area in northern Sarawak are important for developing sustainable forest management.

WWF-Malaysia conservation director Dr Henry Chan said the stories, which have been collected in a new book, portray how the Penans think about the forest and use its resources for their needs.

“We hope this information will be used in forest management. The book is important as it will pave the way for the community, private sector, government and civil society to work together in sustainable forest management,” he said at the launch of The Kubaan-Puak Story: Journey Towards a Green Corridor here yesterday.

Published by the Sarawak Forest Department and WWF-Malaysia, the coffee table book features the Penan community’s close relationship with nature and their contribution to sustainable forest management.

It is part of the Kuba’an-Puak pilot project by WWF-Malaysia in partnership with the Forest Depart­ment, timber concession holders and local communities in the area to develop a model for sustainable forest management.

Chan said a key recommendation from the project was that things of importance to the local community within forest management units should be protected and conserved.