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Creating the Ulu
Papar biocultural
community protocol
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by THERESIA JOHN, PATRICIA JOHN, LOUIS BUGIAD and
AGNES LEE AGAMA
Ulu Papar is a remote place in Borneo,
located at the uppermost reaches of the
Papar River in the District of Penampang,
Sabah, Malaysia. The landscape is inhabited by about 1000 indigenous Dusun
people, in nine small settlements. The
natural environment is the source of their
food, crafts, medicine, construction materials, recreation, cultural heritage, history
and identity. Having managed their forests
communally according to customary practices for generations, the community has a
rich and deep cultural and ecological
knowledge.
In 2010, the people of Ulu Papar came
together to create a biocultural community
protocol (BCP) – a document articulating
the interests, rights and responsibilities of
the Ulu Papar community in the preservation, management and utilisation of their
territories and culture. The idea for the Ulu
Papar protocol developed out of community concerns over three main issues: lack
Photo: Yassin Miki
Background
Panorama of Buayan village in the Ulu Papar valley.
of tenure security, conflicts with Statedriven conservation and destructive
development.1
Background on land, resource and
conservation in Ulu Papar
Indigenous Dusun people have inhabited
the Ulu Papar landscape for generations.
Oral histories affirm their presence since
colonial times. Almost all villages have no
1 The BCP process was initiated as part of activities under the Darwin Initiative projects in Ulu
Papar, with the assistance of Natural Justice.