The leader of an indigenous group working to protect a biodiversity-rich forest region on the island of Borneo is set to speak about the ongoing effort next week at Quest University.
Ledjie Taq, leader of the Wehea Dayak people in East Kalimantan, in the Indonesian portion of Borneo, is visiting the Vancouver area as part of a delegation that also includes Brent Loken, a Squamish-based Simon Fraser University (SFU) doctoral candidate who has been working with the Wehea Dayak since 2009.
Taq, who has won numerous international awards for his conservation work, will speak on Tuesday (Sept. 18) from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Quest University Canada multi-purpose room.
Under Taq's leadership, the Wehea Dayak have been working since 2004 to preserve the biologically rich and culturally important Wehea Forest, which is home to at least 22 species listed as vulnerable or endangered including the famed clouded leopard, the Bornean orangutan and the recently rediscovered primate the Miller's grizzled langur.
Preserving the forest, which is under threat from logging, palm kernel oil plantations and other development, is also key to maintaining traditional Wehea Dayak culture, organizers said in a statement.
"Deforestation has caused poverty for our people," Taq said in the statement. "We have seen our agricultural land disappear, the severity and frequency of floods has increased over the past few years and social tensions are increasing in our community."
Integrated Conservation (ICon), a non-governmental organization of which Loken is executive director, has organized the 11-day visit. ICon works with the Wehea Dayak on issues related to forest conservation, conservation-based livelihoods and local governance.
"Forest conservation can't be just an environmental issue," Loken said. "Economic and local development issues must also be considered."
The tour, Sept. 9 to 20, is also to include talks at SFU and the University of British Columbia and visits to the traditional territories of several B.C. indigenous groups to discuss strategies for sustainable management and protection of natural resources and cultural heritage, organizers said.
Admission to next week's talk is free.
