Pacific Affairs: An International Review of Asia and the Pacific

Volume 77, No. 1

 

Sustainable Development and the Social and Cultural Impact of a Dam-Induced Development Strategy the Bakun Experience
By Yee Keong Choy

 

Abstract

This article investigates sustainable development from the perspective of indigenous communities, based on empirical studies of the Bakun Dam project in Malaysia. It analyzes the socio-economic and ecological implications of the links between Bakun's growth vision and the socio-cultural sustainability of the indigenous communities in Sarawak. It emphasizes that promoting sustainable development should mean protecting the source of the indigenous communities' social fabrics and cultural identity in this case, the Bakun forest ecosystem.