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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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REAZUL AHSAN: I am
Dr. Reazul Ahsan,

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a visiting scholar of MIT UTM
Malaysian sustainable city

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program.

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I am presenting two stories
of development induced

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displacement in Malaysia.

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One follows up with communities
affected by a hydroelectric dam

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in East Malaysia.

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The other addresses an ongoing
housing development project

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on the southern tip
of peninsula Malaysia.

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Malaysia is one of the world's
fastest developing nations.

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Under its own militia program,
the government [INAUDIBLE]

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be a developed country by 2025.

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Accordingly, federal
and state governments

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are intensively investing in
infrastructure development,

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especially in housing, energy,
and manufacturing sectors.

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However, many national
infrastructure development

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programs fail to
consider indigenous

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poor and marginalized
communities, who

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have very limited voice in
planning these mega projects.

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From 1980 to 1990,
almost 10 million people

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were displaced in South Asia
due to development projects,

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like hydroelectric dams.

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The process known as
development induced displacement

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remains a global challenge
for socially sustainable

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development planning.

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Sarawak, one of two
Malaysian estates

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on the island of Borneo,
is a real example

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of development
induced displacement

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due to hydroelectric dams.

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Sarawak is home to
2.37 million people,

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and its 27 indigenous
ethnic communities

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speak 45 different languages.

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In Malaya, these indigenous
groups are known as Orang Asli.

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Beginning IN the year 1994,
the Sarawak's government

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initiated the second largest
hydroelectric dam in Asia.

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In the name of region
wide economic development,

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the dam inundated
1,700 hectares of land

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in the interior zone
of Bakun, and displaced

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more than 10,000 Orang Asli
from their home and their land.

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To learn more about those
displaced communities,

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I journeyed to Bakun.

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These displaced
indigenous communities

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have been relocated
next to the Bintulu City

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on land allocated by the
government, which is now

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known as Village [INAUDIBLE]
Before the resettlement,

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indigenous communities
harvested their everyday needs

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from river and forest in Bakun.

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But this new location
is far from their source

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of livelihood.

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Every week many
displaced villagers

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make a long journey
to Bakun to fish

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and get their food
from the forest.

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Their government appointed
village leader, Mr. [INAUDIBLE]

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said, that it was a
completely new life for them

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after displacement.

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To him, the new home was a
jungle far away from the river

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essential to their livelihood.

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SPEAKER: It's very
totally new to our people.

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It's totally new.

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Because they are used
to the way of life.

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They're used to the
way of-- how they

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do living in the old place.

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So when we moved
to this new place,

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so can see that all the
area here is jungle.

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REAZUL AHSAN: As a
part of the relocation,

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they also claimed compensation
from the government.

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SPEAKER: There is Bakun
Development Committee, BDC.

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So we have a thick book that
we pass to the government

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so that they can study about
our land, how much do they

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compensate for
land, and how much

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do they compensate for
the garden, rubber, paper,

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and so on.

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And what about our house?

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And how are you going
to compensate the house?

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REAZUL AHSAN: However,
the compensation

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wasn't enough to start fresh
in their resettlement location.

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SPEAKER: It's [INAUDIBLE]
for this, because they

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are using the government rate.

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REAZUL AHSAN: I helped
team group discussions

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with men and women in
the indigenous community

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to understand the
challenges they

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faced since their relocation.

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[INAUDIBLE] interviews
say the greatest challenge

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at the relocation site
was, insufficient access

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to land to sustain them.

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At least one member
of every family

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travels back to the dam areas
for the daily intake needs,

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two hours there from
the new location.

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This travel is costly, and also
raises their daily living cost.

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To compensate, some have
started living semi-permanently

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in the dam area, collecting
food under compromised living

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condition, while their families
remain in the new settlement

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areas.

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[INAUDIBLE] is one of
the indigenous people who

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moved to the dam area to
minimize her family's living

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costs, and harvest the
food from the rivers.

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SPEAKER: Half an hour
from here to their house.

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REAZUL AHSAN: Back in
the settlement area,

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some elders feel
isolated and have

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no bond with the community
since becoming displaced.

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[INAUDIBLE] Is one of them.

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SPEAKER: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

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REAZUL AHSAN: After being
displaced for 16 years,

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the villagers now settle
into normal daily routines,

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but they're still struggling to
subsist only on the new lands,

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and improve condition
for the next generations.

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On the southernmost tip
of peninsula Malaysia,

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and ongoing story of
development induced displacement

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is unfolding.

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Iskander Malaysia, it is an
old development authority

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in the state of Johor, is aiming
to house three million people

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by 2025.

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One of the region's
largest new housing

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projects Country
Garden in Danga Bay

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is being built in a variety
of [INAUDIBLE] coastal areas

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between two rivers.

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Within an aim to accommodate
about 9000 new residents,

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Country Garden is
an eviction threat

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for the indigenous people
living in Danga Bay area

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for hundreds of years.

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The project pushed them to
the edge of the developing

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boundary, and left no
other options for them

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but to displace.

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Mr. [INAUDIBLE], director
of Iskander Malaysia,

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knows about the indigenous
history of Danga Bay.

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SPEAKER: [INAUDIBLE] is also
where we have the fisherman

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relation and we have the
indigenous group, which call

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[INAUDIBLE].

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The British used
call them sea gypsy.

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REAZUL AHSAN: In the
questions of land right,

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[INAUDIBLE] says.

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SPEAKER: It's not enough to
get [INAUDIBLE] So whether they

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like it or not, it's
just a matter of time.

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This will have to relocated
to [INAUDIBLE] the area.

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REAZUL AHSAN: I asked him what
alternatives are available.

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SPEAKER: The land there itself,
is belong to third parties.

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So we only got two choice,
is that [INAUDIBLE] the area,

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or we have to relocate
them to other area.

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Is not that easy for us to
[INAUDIBLE] It's a growing

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community, and maybe
for start, 100 ,

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150 families is sufficient
for to say there.

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But not as the community
grow double or triple,

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we still have the [INAUDIBLE].

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We also need to be realistic.

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We're not talking about
50 years ago, [INAUDIBLE]

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ago, where we have abundant
of land on seafront.

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REAZUL AHSAN: Indigenous
community leader [INAUDIBLE]

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also says land right
and displacement

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are longstanding issues.

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SPEAKER: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

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REAZUL AHSAN: To his community,
the Country Garden project

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was unexpected.

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SPEAKER: [NON-ENGLSIH]

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REAZUL AHSAN: They protested,
and reported the land

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occupation to the police.

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SPEAKER: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

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REAZUL AHSAN: Mr.
[INAUDIBLE] a leader

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among local fishermen,
also suffered

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due to the reclamation process.

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SPEAKER: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

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REAZUL AHSAN: According to Dr.
Colin G. Nicholas, director

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of Center for Orang Asli
Concern, in Malaysia,

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resettlement or
relocation can never

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be a solution for displaced
indigenous communities.

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COLIN NICHOLAS: This
first thing that

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happens in the resettlement
scheme is you break down

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the social structure.

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Indigenous peoples are
not interested in land,

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they are interested in
their traditional land

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and their culture.

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REAZUL AHSAN: Across the
river from Danga Bay,

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Iskander Development Authority
has produced an ecotourism

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development plan for
Kompang [? Sona ?]

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Melayu, a village for
traditional Malay people,

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known as Bumiputras.

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However, the authority has no
corresponding development plan

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for the indigenous
village in Danga Bay.

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Incorporating this community
into Kompang [? Sona ?] Melayu

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plan, could prevent
its displacement,

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and protect its indigenous
culture and tradition.

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The village currently operates
a Cultural Heritage Center,

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which villagers believe could
be a launchpad for a similarly

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ecotourism development strategy.

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Recognizing the inevitability
of development and displacement,

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communities often
have generated ideas

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about how to mitigate
the social impacts.

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Engaging in
participatory planning

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with the indigenous
community could

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sustain the land,
livelihood, and culture

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for them, and for the
following generations.

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Thank you.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]