The village of Uma Bawang has been chosen from a pool of 420 communities from 77 countries to receive the 2002 Equator Prize at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. Uma Bawang, an indigenous village on the island of Borneo, was presented with the award, which comes with a $30,000 (US) cash prize. The winners were cited as outstanding examples of community-led partnerships. The villagers have successfully used blockades and innovative mapping efforts to defend their customary land rights and access to rainforest lands. Recently Uma Bawang used maps to defeat plans for an oil palm plantation that would have cleared their communal forests. The Uma Bawang Resident’s Association’s commitment to self-reliance has also generated numerous projects to provide sustenance and cash incomes.
