Global pressure has also spurred an investigation by the Forest Stewardship Council into Samling's alleged illegal logging and human rights violations.
A fresh lawsuit, which involves an NGO being sued for defamation due to remarks made against individuals who have allegedly profited from timber logging in the state, has once again put the plight of local communities in the spotlight.
Cambodia's leaders are anxious to prove to the world that the forest conservation mechanism can address climate change while providing opportunities for people to thrive in a “new Cambodia”. But there are concerns about greenwash, and observers point to how such projects can end up being a guise for illicit land grabbing by ruling elites.
Indigenous communities in Sarawak have been monitoring their forests for the past year, gathering data to counter a logging company's assumptions about the value of their traditional lands.
By
Fiona McAlpine
As indigenous communities in Sarawak deal with the second flooding of the year, they also face legal harassment by timber giant Samling in an unprecedented move that seems designed to silence criticism.
By
Fiona McAlpine
Permanently protecting large, mature forests is a faster and cheaper way to stabilise Earth's climate than complex carbon capture and storage schemes, and more effective than planting new trees.
By
Beverly Law and
William Moomaw
The veteran journalist talks to Eco-Business about how his Emmy-nominated documentary depicts the lives of environmental crusaders in Asia's deadliest country for guardians of the seas and forests.