INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Like the environment they steward, the rights of Indigenous Orang Asal communities in Malaysia have faced sustained assault over the past quarter-century. While ostensibly serving conservation, state-led initiatives – including protected areas, carbon sequestration projects, and stricter environmental laws – have systematically alienated Orang Asal from their ancestral lands and their lifeways. Efforts focused on flagship species, for example, present a central paradox: they co-opt Indigenous knowledge and labour while simultaneously criminalizing traditional practices. This dynamic creates a vicious cycle, mirroring the plight of local fauna and flora, where environmental degradation precipitates a parallel decline in Indigenous well-being. Inevitably, a fundamental re-evaluation of conservation thought is required to establish equitable frameworks that facilitate collaborative and sustainable coexistence.

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