Editing Sarawak (section)

===Biodiversity===
{{See also|Fauna of Borneo|Deforestation in Borneo|Sarawak Biodiversity Centre}}
Sarawak contains large tracts of [[tropical rainforest]] with diverse plant species,<ref>{{cite web |title=Borneo plants |url=http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/about_borneo_forests/borneo_animals/borneo_plants/ |publisher=World Wide Fund for Nature |access-date=2 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425204321/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/borneo_forests/about_borneo_forests/borneo_animals/borneo_plants |archive-date=25 April 2016}}</ref> which has led to a number of them being studied for medicinal properties.<ref>{{cite news |title=Medicinal plants around us |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/08/24/medicinal-plants-around-us/ |access-date=16 November 2015 |work=The Malaysian Nature Society |publisher=The Borneo Post |date=24 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830015043/http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/08/24/medicinal-plants-around-us/ |archive-date=30 August 2014}}</ref> [[Mangrove]] and [[Nypa fruticans|nipah]] forests lining its [[estuary|estuaries]] comprise 2% of its forested area, peat swamp forests along other parts of its coastline cover 16%, [[Kerangas forest]] covers 5% and [[Dipterocarpaceae]] forests cover most mountainous areas. The major trees found in estuary forests include ''bako'' and ''nibong'', while those in the peat swamp forests include ''ramin'' (''[[Gonystylus bancanus]]''), ''meranti'' (''[[Shorea]]''), and ''medang jongkong'' (''[[Dactylocladus stenostachys]]'').<ref name="stateplanning"/>

[[File:How to peel a banana with your foot (26443349170).jpg|thumb|left|upright|An orangutan peeling a banana at Semenggoh Wildlife Reserve.]]
Animal species are also highly varied, with 185 species of mammals, 530 species of birds, 166 species of snakes, 104 species of lizards, and 113 species of amphibians, of which 19 per cent of the mammals, 6 per cent of the birds, 20 per cent of the snakes and 32 per cent of the lizards are [[endemism|endemic]]. These species are largely found in Totally Protected Areas. There are over 2,000 tree species in Sarawak. Other plants includes 1,000 species of orchids, 757 species of ferns, and 260 species of palm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sarawak National Park – Biodiversity Conservation |url=http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-bc.html |publisher=Sarawak Forestry Department |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-date=28 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128010731/http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-bc.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> The state is the habitat of endangered animals, including the [[borneo pygmy elephant]], [[proboscis monkey]], [[orangutan]]s and [[Sumatran rhinoceros]]es.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8296131/Rainforest-is-destroyed-for-palm-oil-plantations-on-Malaysias-island-state-of-Sarawak.html?image=5 |title=Rainforest is destroyed for palm oil plantations on Malaysia's island state of Sarawak (Image 1 and Image 2) |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=21 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206085015/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8296131/Rainforest-is-destroyed-for-palm-oil-plantations-on-Malaysias-island-state-of-Sarawak.html?image=5 |archive-date=6 February 2011}}<br />{{*}} {{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8296131/Rainforest-is-destroyed-for-palm-oil-plantations-on-Malaysias-island-state-of-Sarawak.html?image=8 |title=Rainforest is destroyed for palm oil plantations on Malaysia's island state of Sarawak (Image 3) |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=21 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207212130/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8296131/Rainforest-is-destroyed-for-palm-oil-plantations-on-Malaysias-island-state-of-Sarawak.html?image=8 |archive-date=7 February 2011}}<br />{{*}} {{cite web |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/05/05/sumatran-orangutans-rainforest-home-faces-new-threat/ |title=Sumatran Orangutans' rainforest home faces new threat |work=[[Agence France-Presse]] |publisher=The Borneo Post |date=5 May 2013 |access-date=21 August 2014}}<br />{{*}} {{Cite iucn |author=Meijaard, E. |author2=Nijman, V. |author3=Supriatna, J. |name-list-style=amp |title=''Nasalis larvatus'' |volume=2008 |page=e.T14352A4434312 |date=2008 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T14352A4434312.en |access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref> Matang Wildlife Centre, Semenggoh Nature Reserve, and [[Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary]]<ref>{{cite web |title=25 success stories |url=http://www.itto.int/direct/topics/topics_pdf_download/topics_id=2796&no=0&disp=inline |publisher=[[International Tropical Timber Organization]] (ITTO) |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613011444/http://www.itto.int/direct/topics/topics_pdf_download/topics_id%3D2796%26no%3D0%26disp%3Dinline |archive-date=13 June 2015 |pages=44–45 |url-status=dead}}</ref> are noted for their orangutan protection programmes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Semenggoh Nature Reserve |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/semenggoh-nature-reserve/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508013152/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/semenggoh-nature-reserve/ |archive-date=8 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Matang Wildlife Centre |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/matang-wildlife-centre/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514234944/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/matang-wildlife-centre/ |archive-date=14 May 2015}}</ref> Talang{{ndash}}Satang National Park is notable for its turtle conservation initiatives.<ref>{{cite web |title=Talang-Satang National Park |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/talang-satang-national-park/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151116071641/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/talang-satang-national-park/ |archive-date=16 November 2015}}</ref> [[Birdwatching]] is a common activity in various national parks such as Gunung Mulu National Park, Lambir Hills National Park,<ref>{{cite web |title=Birding in Sarawak |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/birding-in-sarawak/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516085037/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/birding-in-sarawak/ |archive-date=16 May 2015}}</ref> and [[Similajau National Park]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Similajau National Park |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/similajau-national-park/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508014847/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/similajau-national-park/ |archive-date=8 May 2015}}</ref> Miri{{ndash}}Sibuti National Park is known for its coral reefs<ref>{{cite web |title=Diving in Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/diving-in-miri-sibuti-coral-reef-national-park/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504000343/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/diving-in-miri-sibuti-coral-reef-national-park/ |archive-date=4 May 2015}}</ref> and Gunung Gading National Park for its ''[[Rafflesia]]'' flowers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gunung Gading National Park |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/gunung-gading-national-park/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150516085552/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/gunung-gading-national-park/ |archive-date=16 May 2015}}</ref> [[Bako National Park]], the oldest national park in Sarawak, is known for its 275 proboscis monkeys,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bako National Park |url=http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-np-bako.html |publisher=Sarawak Forestry Corporation |access-date=26 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925040118/http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-np-bako.html |archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref> and Padawan Pitcher Garden for its various carnivorous [[pitcher plant]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Padawan Pitcher Plant & Wild Orchid Centre |url=http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/padawan-pitcher-plant-wild-orchid-garden/ |publisher=Sarawak Tourism Board |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409045310/http://sarawaktourism.com/attraction/padawan-pitcher-plant-wild-orchid-garden/ |archive-date=9 April 2015}}</ref> In 1854, [[Alfred Russel Wallace]] visited Sarawak. A year later, he formulated the "Sarawak Law" which foreshadowed the formulation of his (and [[Charles Darwin|Darwin's]]) theory of evolution by [[natural selection]] three years later.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Alan |title=Wallace and the Sarawak Law |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/14/wallace-and-the-sarawak-law/ |access-date=15 November 2016 |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115022532/http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/14/wallace-and-the-sarawak-law/ |archive-date=15 November 2016}}</ref>

The Sarawak state government has enacted several laws to protect its forests and endangered wildlife species. Some of the protected species are the orangutan, [[green sea turtle]], [[Sunda flying lemur|flying lemur]], and [[piping hornbill]]. Under the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, Sarawak natives are given permissions to hunt for a restricted range of wild animals in the jungles but should not possess more than {{cvt|5|kg}} of meat.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lian |first1=Cheng |title=Protected wildlife on the menu |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/03/31/protected-wildlife-on-the-menu/ |access-date=16 November 2015 |newspaper=The Borneo Post |date=31 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401105507/http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/03/31/protected-wildlife-on-the-menu/ |archive-date=1 April 2013}}</ref> The Sarawak Forest Department was established in 1919 to conserve forest resources in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/pages.php?mod=webpage&sub=page&id=75&menu_id=0&sub_id=115 |publisher=Official website of Forest Department Sarawak |access-date=16 November 2015 |quote=Mr. J.P. Mead became the first Conservator of Forests, Sarawak Forest Department, in 1919. The objectives of the Department were to manage and conserve the State's forest resources. |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161119121104/http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/pages.php?mod=webpage&sub=page&id=75&menu_id=0&sub_id=115 |archive-date=19 November 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Following international criticism of the [[logging]] industry in Sarawak, the state government decided to downsize the Sarawak Forest Department and created the Sarawak Forestry Corporation in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barney |first1=Chan |title=6. INSTITUTIONAL RESTRUCTURING IN SARAWAK, MALAYSIA |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai412e/AI412E10.htm |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]] |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719063139/http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai412e/AI412E10.htm |archive-date=19 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sarawak Forestry Corporation – About Us – FAQ |url=http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/aboutus-faq.html |publisher=Sarawak Forestry Corporation |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512164659/http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/aboutus-faq.html |archive-date=12 May 2015}}</ref> The Sarawak Biodiversity Centre was set up in 1997 for the conservation, protection, and sustainable development of biodiversity in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Sarawak Biodiversity Centre – Profile |url=http://www.sbc.org.my/about-sbc |publisher=Sarawak Biodiversity Centre |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206075233/http://www.sbc.org.my/about-sbc |archive-date=6 December 2014}}</ref>

==== Conservation issues ====
[[File:Sarawak, Cultural Village 11.jpg|thumb|A logging camp along the [[Rajang River]]]]
Sarawak's rain forests are primarily threatened by the logging industry and palm oil plantations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tom |first1=Young |title=Malaysian palm oil destroying forests, report warns |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/feb/02/malaysian-palm-oil-forests |access-date=28 July 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529234141/http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/feb/02/malaysian-palm-oil-forests |archive-date=29 May 2014}}</ref> The issue of human rights of the [[Penan]] and deforestation in Sarawak became an international environmental issue when Swiss activist [[Bruno Manser]] visited Sarawak regularly between 1984 and 2000.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Elegant |first=Simon |title=Without a Trace |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,172580,00.html |date=3 September 2001 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time magazine Asia]] |url-access=subscription |access-date=14 August 2014}}</ref> Deforestation has affected the life of indigenous tribes, especially the Penan, whose livelihood is heavily dependent on forest produce. This led to several blockades by indigenous tribes during the 1980s and 1990s against logging companies encroaching on their lands.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sarawak and the Penan |url=http://bmf.ch/en/about-us/sarawak-and-the-penan/ |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708203915/http://www.bmf.ch/en/about-us/sarawak-and-the-penan/ |archive-date=8 July 2015}}</ref> Indeed, illegal logging in particular has decimated the forest regions indigenous populations depend on for their livelihoods, depleting fish, wildlife, but also traditional medicinal herbs and construction staples like Palm.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Sarawak, Malaysia Infringement of the Rights of Indigenous People by Continuous Illegal Logging Practices |journal=Human Rights Now |date=2016 |page=16 |url=http://hrn.or.jp/eng/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/0df9bf57ee7d367d4dbfac6dcfbf7c37.pdf |location=Tokyo, Japan}}</ref> There have also been cases where [[Aboriginal title|Native Customary Rights]] (NCR) lands have been given to timber and plantation companies without the permission of the locals.<ref>{{cite web |title=Native Customary Rights in Sarawak |date=19 February 2010 |url=http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/malaysia/native-customary-rights-sarawak |publisher=[[Cultural Survival]] |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005075934/http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/malaysia/native-customary-rights-sarawak |archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref> The indigenous people have resorted to legal means to reinstate their NCR. In 2001 the High Court of Sarawak fully reinstated the NCR land claimed by the Rumah Nor people, but this was overturned partially in 2005. However, this case has served as a precedent, leading to more NCR being upheld by the high court in the following years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rumah Nor: A Land Rights Case for Malaysia |url=http://borneoproject.org/our-work/rumah-nor-a-land-rights-case-for-malaysia |publisher=The Borneo Project |access-date=17 November 2015 |archive-date=8 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208085935/http://borneoproject.org/our-work/rumah-nor-a-land-rights-case-for-malaysia |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Jessica |first1=Lawrence |title=Earth Island News – Borneo Project – Indigenous victory overturned |url=http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/eij/article/borneo_project2/ |publisher=[[Earth Island Institute]] |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> Sarawak's mega-dam policies, such as the [[Bakun Dam]] and [[Murum Dam]] projects, have submerged thousands of hectares of forest and displaced thousands of indigenous people.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rhett |first1=Butler |title=Power, profit, and pollution: dams and the uncertain future of Sarawak |date=3 September 2009 |url=http://news.mongabay.com/2009/09/power-profit-and-pollution-dams-and-the-uncertain-future-of-sarawak/ |publisher=Mongabay |access-date=17 November 2015 |quote=One dam has already displaced 10,000 native people and will flood an area the size of Singapore.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bakun Dam |url=https://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/bakun-dam |publisher=[[International Rivers]] |access-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> Since 2013, the proposed [[Baram Dam]] project has been delayed due to ongoing protests from local indigenous tribes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sarawak, Malaysia |url=https://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/sarawak-malaysia |publisher=[[International Rivers]] |access-date=17 November 2015 |quote=Work on access roads to the dam site began but came to a halt in October 2013 when local communities launched two blockades to stop construction and other project preparations from proceeding.}}</ref> Since 2014, the Sarawak government under chief minister [[Adenan Satem]] started to take action against [[illegal logging]] in the state and to diversify the economy of the state.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vanitha |first1=Nadaraj |title=Battle Against Illegal Logging in Sarawak Begins |url=http://www.establishmentpost.com/battle-illegal-logging-sarawak-begins/ |access-date=18 November 2015 |publisher=The Establishment Post |date=21 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921054212/http://www.establishmentpost.com/battle-illegal-logging-sarawak-begins/ |archive-date=21 September 2015}}</ref> Through the course of 2016 over 2 million acres of forest, much of it in orangutan habitats, were declared protected areas.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2016/08/sarawak-announces-department-of-national-parks-and-wildlife-to-open-next-year/ |title=Sarawak establishes 2.2M acres of protected areas, may add 1.1M more |author=Mike Gaworecki |newspaper=Mongabay |date=19 August 2016 |access-date=22 August 2016}}</ref>

Sources vary as to Sarawak's remaining forest cover: former chief minister [[Abdul Taib Mahmud]] declared that it fell from 70% to 48% between 2011 and 2012, the Sarawak Forest Department and the Ministry of Resource Planning and Environment both held that it remained at 80% in 2012,<ref name="Taibawangforests">{{cite news |last1=Joseph |first1=Tawie |title='What's really left of our forest, Taib?' |url=http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/10/25/whats-really-left-of-our-forest-taib/ |access-date=16 November 2015 |work=Free Malaysia Today |date=25 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102121203/http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/10/25/whats-really-left-of-our-forest-taib/ |archive-date=2 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Types and Categories of Sarawak's Forests |url=http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/pages.php?mod=webpage&sub=page&id=593&menu_id=0&sub_id=160 |publisher=Sarawak Forest Department |access-date=16 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122014750/http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/pages.php?mod=webpage&sub=page&id=593&menu_id=0&sub_id=160 |archive-date=22 November 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Wetlands International]] reported that it fell by 10% between 2005 and 2010, 3.5 times faster than the rest of Asia combined.<ref>{{cite report |title=Impact of oil palm plantations on peatland conversion in Sarawak 2005-2010 |date=January 2011 |url=http://archive.wetlands.org/Portals/0/publications/Report/Sarvision%20Sarawak%20Report%20Final%20for%20Web.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820120140/http://archive.wetlands.org/Portals/0/publications/Report/Sarvision%20Sarawak%20Report%20Final%20for%20Web.pdf |archive-date=20 August 2017 |access-date=25 June 2017 |website=Wetlands International}}</ref>