Ulu Baram is a remote area of

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It is an encased alluvial plain, created in part by the

Baram River The Baram River ( ms, Sungai Baram) is a river in Sarawak on the island of Borneo. The river originates in the Kelabit Highlands, a watershed demarcated by the Iran Mountains of East Kalimantan, which form a natural border with Sarawak. The riv ...

. The forest is certified for logging. Most of Ulu Baram belongs to the traditional area of the Orang Ulu (Upriver People), a collective name that includes the

Penan The Penan are a nomadic indigenous people living in Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawa ...

people (about 10,000 overall), Kayan,

Kenyah The Kenyah people are an indigenous, Austronesian-speaking people of Borneo, living in the remote Baram Lio Matoh, Long Selaan, Long Moh, Long Anap, Long Mekaba, Long Jeeh, Long Belaong, Long San, Long Silat, Long Tungan, Data Kakus ...

, Saban,

Punan Punan Bah or Punan is an ethnic group found in Sarawak, Malaysia and in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Punan Bah people are distinct and unrelated to the semi-nomadic Penan people. Their name stems from two rivers along the banks of which they ha ...

and Kelabit. There has been large-scale logging and subsequent creation of

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

or monoculture

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

(used for paper) estates within the surrounding area, which continues despite the protracted protests of the indigenous inhabitants who claim these commercial activities are encroaching into their ancestral land and destroying their livelihood. It is thought that this part of

may be the prime habitat for the very rare Hose's civet (''Diplogale hosei''), a small carnivore

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

forests of northern

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

.Mathai, J. (2010). Hose's Civet: Borneo's mysterious carnivore. ''Nature Watch'' 18/4:2-8.

References

External links

Information about Penan people living in Ulu Baram

News Archive for Indigenous Concerns in Sarawak, including Ulu Baram

Website on Bario, Kelabit Highlands, Ulu Baram
Geography of Sarawak Plains of Asia {{Sarawak-geo-stub