Swiss NGO blames govt policy change for Upper Baram Forest Area project’s termination

AI Summary

The Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) blames the Sarawak government's policy change regarding logging in the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) for the termination of an ITTO-supported project. BMF director Lukas Straumann refuted the government's claim of project non-compliance, stating the real reason was abandoning the protection of 79,000 hectares of primary forest. Deputy Minister Len Talif Salleh had cited BMF's focus on the Penan community while ignoring other communities' interests. BMF and SAVE Rivers claim the government and ITTO haven't addressed their concerns about the policy change and governance issues, despite international funding commitments.