Nature provides resources for local communities. Different ethnic groups gather, fish, hunt, barter, or adopt slash-and-burn farming methods. Cleverly using locally obtained materials, rich and unique connections are formed between culture and forest.
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/wq66ctej
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Sarawak: a Kenyah worker testing the bore of a blowpipe. Photograph.
In the mid-19th century, with the gradual influx of people from the East and West, there was a wave of economic trade on Borneo. The economies of local communities improved due to transoceanic commercial activities. However, overuse of natural resources, introduction of foreign cash crops, and increased logging opened a new and lopsided chapter in the interactions between the natural environment and people living on Borneo.
The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the late 18th century to the early 19th century, completely changed the world’s operating models. Mechanized and industrialized production models allowed rubber from the Amazon Basin in South America, coffee from Africa, and black pepper from southern India to enter Borneo due to market demand. The development of a global trade network made it easier for products to circulate all over the world. The Malay and Iban peoples of Sarawak have been the most active ethnic groups in the cultivation of economically important crops. It goes without saying that, as a result, their economic situation has improved and they have more spending power. However, their culture and lifestyle have gradually undergone changes.
https://wellcomecollection.org/works/w9uxetw4
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Sarawak: four Kayan people collecting gutta percha from a tree trunk. Photograph.
In the mid-20th century, with the need for economic development and emphasis on infrastructure development, natural resources, mainly trees, became the best source of wealth. Once forest resources were exhausted, forest land was converted into oil palm plantations to produce palm oil, which has a wide range of uses. Palm oil has become the lifeblood of the economy. The development of natural resources and the pursuit of maximum economic benefit have resulted in a tug-of-war between people and nature.
Up to 90% of Borneo was once covered in forests. Between 1973 and 2015, 50% of its forests disappeared. Belian wood obtained here is durable, hard, and heavy. It is often used in the construction of outdoor pavilions and decks. Members of the Dipterocarpaceae family are the dominant species in Asian tropical rainforests. Their wood is used in interior design such as for furniture and plywood. Ramin wood is obtained from peat swamp forests and used for making furniture and solid wood shutters. Additionally, harvested wood is processed into paper (wood) pulp, to make paper products.
Logging and landscape changes / by Sandra Wong Ling Hie
Many of Borneo’s forests have been degraded due to repeated logging. Elaeis guineensis, known as oil palm, is in the family Arecaceae. Originally from western and southwestern Africa it was introduced during colonial times and readily adapted to the climate and soil conditions of Borneo. Since the 20th century, large single crop oil palm plantations have become part of the landscape. The time from planting to harvest is short and these palms can be harvested for a long time. Compared with other oil crops, oil palms have the lowest cultivation cost and require the least amount of land. Added to that, the palm oil is stable and has a wide range of uses. Nearly 40% of the world’s plant oil is produced by oil palm (2015). Today, the largest exporter of palm oil is Indonesia, followed by Malaysia.
Palm oil factory / by Ching-Chen Shen
If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear it, does it make a sound?
What happens when swaths of forests disappear on Borneo?
In addition to trees, what other victims are there?
Hunted wildlife for food / by Sandra Wong Ling Hie
Think about it. When we have the opportunity to earn money and have a higher standard of living, but the forests and wildlife around us may suffer, what will we choose?
Traditional customs are preserved (but people live in an environment where there is no progress or development) or there is progress or development (but traditional territories and knowledge are gradually lost).
Pristine forests are preserved (but the local economy does not improve) or forest products bring in profits (but the forests disappear).
There is self-sufficiency (but the local economy does not improve) or exploitation (with loss of organisms and ecological diversity).
There is contentment (but the local economy does not improve) or security (accompanied by habitat destruction and environmental pollution).
These are the choices that the people of Borneo are facing.
An experiment called “civilization” is continuing to expand and erode the boundaries of the natural environment on Borneo. However, a reversal is still possible. Government agencies, environmental groups, experts, scholars, and even individuals are involved. Through ingenious strategies for coexistence and co-prosperity with local ethnic groups, it is hoped that there can be a new dawn for Borneo’s natural and cultural diversity.
by Meng-Ying Tsai
by Ching-Chen Shen
by Ching-Chen Shen
by Meng-Ying Tsai
National Museum of Prehistory
Center of Austronesian Culture in National Taitung University
Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, MOA
Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute, MOA
Fengshan Tropical Horticultural Experiment Branch, Agricultural Research Institute, MOA
Xianglin Community Development Association, Manzhou Township, Pingtung
Taiwan Architecture & Building Center
2024.05.03 - 2024.11.15
The 1st Exhibition Gallery；
The Sunshine Pathway
National Museum of Natural Science (NMNS)
The Society of Wilderness (SOW)