Jungle trees, spiritual trees and palm oil trees

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December 16th 2008

Published: February 25th 2009

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beniblanco

Boreno facts and predictions

Our nature is worth fighting for and there is more than economic value to it. Nature is a system and we are part of it - not its masters!

It's taken me some time to write this blog since I've had alot of emotions to deal with after my experiences on Borneo (see the video from our safaris). My feelings are strongly related to our destruction of nature over short-term economical profits. So I had to sort my thoughts and feelings, get informed and educate myself in the matter to understand and get a better view on what exactly I had experienced. Anger and disappointment are natural feelings when you are 'privileged' to witness destruction and mad exploitment from the front seat. But I won't fall in the trap of blame and passiveness. Instead I see the need to engage and be engaged, to motivate and be motivated and to take action rather than hide behind emotions that are not constructive. Of course you like to know what I have seen that made me feel this way and I will tell you all about it soon. But first let me start from the beginning:

The Sipadan diving went well and we were excited to continue to the next stage of our trip in the jungles surrounding the Kinabatangan river. We heard the campsite had recently been flooded but after a phonecall we were assured that

Orang Hanging Loose

Orang = Person Utan = Forest Orang Utan = Person of the forest All orang utan pics are taken from the Sepilok Sanctuary 97% human

the water level was lowered. Some parts were muddy we were told but we could still get to the facilities and move around.

Early morning we went to catch our mini-bus to Uncle Tan's Wildlife and Adventure Camp. kassra went ahead so we wouldn't miss the bus while I was getting breakfast from the market. I got some mango, langsat, rambutan, fried banana and some sort of fried bean custard. We were good to go!
After a few minutes on the mini-bus we got acquainted with Julija and Karolina who had been travelling for a while in South East Asia together. We connected immediately and conversation was so good that before we knew it we had stopped for lunch, started again and arrived to Uncle Tan's - some five hours later. It was hard to leave our newly found friends, but that's all part of travelling.

Uncle Tan's

...societies are so busy with 'developing' that love is left behind

The first thing that we saw was the ping pong and pool table. So after announcing our arrival to the competent staff, we started our first battle in ping pong. Unfortunatly, kassra was too lucky this particular day (!) and beat me - twice. Our game of pool, however, was a totally different story and you can ask him yourself what happened.

Breakfast

Eventually, we packed our back-packs in plastic covers and were driven to the boat that would take us to Uncle Tan's Camp. Again, a nice conversation arose, this time between me and Kassra about how the development of logic is sometimes reducing feelings and love in our modern societies. We concluded that logic and love must be in fusion for a safe and sustainable future for all of us. We promised to be aware and keep reminding ourselves about this insight since we live in a world where dominant cultures and societies are so busy 'developing' that love is sometimes left behind.

...the scorpios must have laughed their poison out of their bodies.

We got on the boats and were soon leaving roads, cars and houses behind us. We were around 8 people on board and I was impressed to hear two of the girls talking in Malay with our guide. The boat was zig zagging this early afternoon so we could get our first glimpes of the animal life. We were trying to spot snakes and crocodiles resting on the river banks. Macaque and Probiscus monkeys were in the tree tops to cool down by the riverside. Eventually we arrived to the muddy camp area and made use of the

Uncle Tan's Camp

Highly recommended!

provided rubber boots. After getting settled, we got a good introduction of what to expect the coming days. We would do safaris by boat and foot, during day and night. Snakes, spiders, scorpios, monkeys, apes, crocodiles, birds, leopards, elephants, the rare Bornoe rhino and Orang Utans are just a few of the thousands animals and plants you should find on the amazing Borneo island - many are still undiscovered.

We would like to remind visitors that the Camp is not exactly the HILTON!

We had a busy but exciting schedule (see the video from our safaris) and the staff took care of us really well in between the safaris. Various delicious dishes and fruits were served after each return from a trekk or boat excursion. When you visit the website of Uncle Tan's they are very clear letting you know that you can't expect any luxury. You can find expressions like: "We would like to remind visitors that the Camp is not exactly the HILTON!" and for many people this would be enough to scare them off. I think that's also the strategy of Uncle Tan's because they don't want visitors that are more obsessed with complaining how their LV bags got stolen by a Macaque or how mud doesn't look good on Prada. To many, this frank strategy

So white

is much more attractive than anything else. You should actually just visit the website even if you don't plan to go there. There's alot of funny details there! www.uncletan.com. As I mentioned the spiders, snakes and other insects and reptiles above, many of you must have had your worst phobias vitalised. I'm not the fanatic guy either running around with a insect net trying to see or catch them. But knowing that a human is more harmful to them then they will ever be to me, I was cautious with my steps and followed our trustworthy guides to simply discover and learn about their habitat, nature and behavior. We were not disappointed and the diversity of animal life in the small area that we moved around in was remarkable. One hightlight was when we reached a swamp and had no choice but passing it with water reaching above our knees. We took our boots off and looked for leeches before continuing 😉 Unfortunatly, we didn't find any then since they are not so common in those parts of Borneo. Still, we got lucky a bit later and saw two of them on the pathway. It was so amazing to see

Scorpio

Laughing probably

how their thin body worked like a radar to find a good old vene suction. Previously, when asked, our guide had said that we should clap our hands if we got to see any leech (that's how rare they are :P) So there we were: a bunch of people clapping hands in the middle of the Borneo jungle - the scorpios must have laughed their poison out of their bodies. Another thing we learned was how Borneo people by tradition have cherished their trees. Some trees are so strong that they are labeled as "Diamond wood" and it's easy to understand the respect such massive organisms can invoke in the mind, heart and culture of Borneo people. There is also something called the 'Spiritual trees'. These have actually been overtaken by a parasite that figuratively speaking strangles and suffocates its victim. According to our guide, such trees were regarded as source of negative energy that could be used to perform black magic. Although some suggest that there are other areas of use as well 😉

The lecture

The second afternoon we were all chilling in the common area when Eugene, the camp manager, passed by on his visit. He was in the midst of organising the

Tan's lounge

Common area where the lecture was held

relocation of the camp. There were a few of us sitting and asking questions about the state of the jungle. Eugene has been active in the camp since 2003 and turned out to be a source of relevant information on the current state of the surrounding areas. With a clear mind he cleverly serverd us with sober perspectives and relevant dilemmas concerning the local chain saw massacre of trees, illegal hunting, local political corruption, 5-star strategies vs. back-packer distribution of wealth and the impact of nearby failing research center who waste valuable resources on far-from-nature-air-condition-facility which contradicts its own purpose of existence. He got our attention and I promised myself to go back and do what was in my power to educate others and inform about the situations (thanks for still reading!).

So listen: as in many other places on earth, there is a real threat to Borneo, its animals and plants. But it is not too late and we can still prevent further irrevocable damage. Please do what you can to help!

Palm Oil Plantations and logging

...it is not a good idea to replace lush and diverse jungle trees with only one kind - oil palm trees.

Trees are being cut down and sold while giving way for oil palm trees - this is

Some other visitors

called deforestation and is happening right now on Borneo as well as other parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. The land is cleared and burnt so that oil palm trees can be planted. It doesn't take alot of enviromental awareness and knowledge to understand that it is not a good idea to replace lush and diverse jungle trees with only one kind - oil palm trees. That is exactly what is happening! The profits are only economical not natural. There is a big demand and palm oil is used as vegetable oil in the consumer industry (frying/cooking oil and fats, cookies and some kind of soaps) by big brands like Unilever, Cargill, Procter & Gamble, Dove and Palm Olive soap, Nestlé, Kraft and Burger King. Lately, there is also a huge demand created for palm oil as biofuel (notice this on the website --> We Buy, Sell, Develop and Invest in
"Sustainable" Oil Palm Plantationsthe environmental impact of biofuel production is NEGATIVE. Interestingly, since the price for crude oil (the good old fossile fuel) has dropped from 147 dollars in July 2008 to below 50 dollars, the demand for palm oil has reduced. The price for a ton was above 1200 dollars last year and is now around 500 dollars. So local producers have shut down their production meaning that forests have been destroyed for short-term economical profits.

First time I saw the plantations was accidently and I was not at all educated about this phenomenon. We had just landed on Borneo and the sight of green trees around the airport was such a contrast to the city life of Kuala Lumpur that I commented it to Kassra. He agreed it's nice but also noticed that they seemed un-naturally planted in perfect rows. Yea, that was disappointing I agreed and weird that someone had actually planted trees like that on an island that is known for its jungle. I thought maybe it's just some crazy landscape architect with some ideas for the airport area - I wish that would have been the case. Our friend Chok from Billabong Scuba explained how oil palm tree plantations are exploiting Borneo nature and wildlife while the profit goes elsewhere. The main argument for continuing this exploitation is very relevant - poverty. Let's do some maths:

History of colonisation + political, social and economical instability + corruption + poverty ==> desperation and short term thinking ==> illegal logging and oil palm plantations ==> money!

My own small research got me some facts you need to know:

The bad news

• Since 1980, 25%!<(MISSING)/b> of Borneo's remaining forest is gone. -WWF
• Deforestation occurs to an average of 2 million hectares per year, an area about half the size of the Netherlands.-WWF
• Between 1950 and 2000, forest cover in the whole of Indonesia fell from 162 million
Look behind the first row of trees
Behind the first row is the start of the plantation. The first row is probably kept by the plantation owner just for facade against the river cruisers.
to 98 million hectares.-WWF
• A 2001 World Bank report predicted that all of Sumatra’s forest would be destroyed outside Protected Areas by 2005. The prediction was quite accurate. - WWF
• Satellite studies show that some 56%!<(MISSING)/b> (more than 29,000 km²) of protectedlowland forests in Kalimantan were cut down between 1985 and 2001. - WWF
• Lowlands of Borneo will be destroyed by 2010 in Kalimantan. - WWF
• Between 1994-2003 Malysia and Indonesia almost doubled respectively tripled their production of palm oil.
"In the years ahead, palm oil will play a bigger role in Malaysia's economy. We will continue to invest in this golden crop," Yusof told Business Times in an interview in Petaling Jaya.

The financial crisis gets alot of attention as people loose money!, but the imminent natural crisis is forgotten while we are loosing the basis for any life.
The good news

The whole economic system is based on our individual behavior and if we change our consumption and put demands on the producers - the system will change. Change yourself and the world will change with you.

• The heart of Borneo can still be protected from this madness.
• You can do something!

In short, animals are killed, trees are cut down and land is burned for rural and agricultural 'developments' providing scraps for minimum wage workers while most profits go to corrupted and greedy pockets on Malaysian Peninsula.

Now, although the problem may seem complex the solution can be very easy: We must rethink our political and global system so we take responsibility and demand responsible handling for
Oil Palm Trees
By this riverside there is no more jungle left. It's been replaced by thirsty oil palm trees. Imagine what happened to the animals and plants.
our natural resources in diaolgue with the Malaysian, Indonesian or any other concerned governments in this matter - quickly. We need to conserve what belongs to all of us by sharing knowledge, resources and money. Those in power must help each other and ensure that any production of goods or services that is undertaken is sustainable and in harmony with our earth. No matter if the tree is cut in Sweden, Norway, the Amazons or on Borneo.

Historically, the rich developed countries have developed and become rich thanks to the use of cheap labor and natural resources from less developed countries. We have colonised, enslaved, started wars with and between people and often we have not acted to prevent human and natural disasters unless it was in our own interest - whether economical or religious. That has to change and change comes with you and me. The whole economic system is based on our individual behavior and if we change our consumption and put demands on the producers - the system will change. We must realise this! Change yourself and the world will change with you. You may not live long enough to see some changes in your life,
What do you think?
but life is bigger than both of us.

Thanks for reading this far. In my next blog I will tell you what happened after we left the camp and went for Mount Kinabalu - the highest mountain in SE Asia.

Finally, I am attaching my correspondence with Eugene to share with you his clairvoyance and a glimpse of his daily challenges in the jungles of Borneo:

Hi my friend,

Perhaps you don't remember me but I was part of a group who stayed at Uncle Tans around 16-18th of dec (attached a pic just in case)... we only met once because you were busy with organising the relocation of the camp. You told us about diamond wood, how you were reusing all the wood of the camp, you also told us about the problems with government, "five star" research center and the benefits of having back-packers instead of five start visitors who just come and leave. If you are that person I would like to make another suggestion to your tour schedule:

When we were on the boat safari we visited parts that still seemed pretty 'untouched' and natural,,, but one day as
Jungle Swamp
we just went a bit further I noticed how the palm plantations (as in picture 2&3) were just behind a row of still natural jungle.. Of course there is no more animal life in these parts but my humble suggestion is that you don't exclude such parts from the tour because people need to become more aware that the RAINFOREST IS ACTUALLY DISAPPEARING and actions need to be taken to prevent. I have asked a friend who is working with developing country farming to try to get me some figures on how much palm oil plantations are actually doing damage, how much revenues, and how much that actually goes to the locals (proably not much as wages are low). I read on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil what it is used for and it would be good to spread this information so that consumers can become aware that for example global brands like "Palmolive" (

So sorry if the email got long,,, I know you must have been engaged in such things before and have had many opinions expressed to you by hundreds of people during the past years,,, BUT I'm sure from the impression I got from you that you are an
Orang Utan
Orang Utan's are shy and endangered. We caught glimpse of only one in the wild. You can only find them on Borneo and what's left of the forests of Sumatra.
enlighted (not too mention educated) person who doesn't give up or let faulty systems stand in the way of what is important - to keep our mother earth healthy.

I write some blogs about my last trip to Borneo and Vietnam and have finished one:
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Mabul/blog-364034.html

next one will be about what I learned at Uncle Tans and the rest of my trip on Borneo. If you like I can send you the link when it is finished so that you can correct eventual mistakes and share your opinion.

I wish you all the best in your life and efforts,
Benjamin Taghavi-Awal

-----------------------------------------------------------

Hi Benjamin,

Sorry for this late reply.

I read your note with much interest on the matter of including the "destruction" part of the forest as part of our trip. It was a good feedback for us because we've had mixed reaction from visitors. Some find the sights of destruction as educational but others feel otherwise.

We have re-located our Camp and started at the new place about a month ago. And yes, much of the old Camp's lumber were re-used for the
I'm watching you, too
new place though the costs of transporting them for re-use costs us a bomb if compared to buying new materials.

After starting for a couple of weeks at the new place, we got badly hit by a major flood. I think this was probably the worst flood I have seen in my involvement with Uncle Tan's since 2003. Water level was up to the roof of our structures and we had to suspend trips to Camp. When I say "worst", I am not referring to how high the water level was, but rather how fast the flood came. Overnight, the water rose by about 3 meters and visitors had to be evacuated without finishing the 3d/2n package. That's how bad it was. The flood speed was frightening.

A few years ago, we could predict the floods quite accurately by using the Lunar Calender. It was a general rule then that the year's flood would not come after Chinese New Year, which is the Lunar New Year. The Lunar New Year this 2009 was 26th January... we got hit by the flood on 5th February. ????

Though I would not discount the surrounding destructions as a contributing factor,
Centipede
Bad for your health if they bite
I think the erratic weather problem is more than just localised. Global perhaps. I say this because the weather and flood were so bad this time that even in the Sandakan area, roads were cut off due to landslip. Imagine... even our B&B/Ops Base was flooded in the reception area!

Looking forward to your follow up article. I looked at the link you sent but I don't think the jungle part is up yet.

Thanks for taking the time to write and keeping in touch!

Cheers,

Eugene

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