From the Margins to the Mainstream: Indigenised Development in Borneo With Information and Communication Technologies and Its Contribution to Global Sustainable Development

Abstract

The introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to remote and isolatedindigenous communities in the forested interior of Borneo has generated desirable development benefitsfor them as well as revealing the processes of community engagement that were necessary for bringingthem about. Associated learning has also highlighted aspirations for development that relate to thespecifics of their cultures and lifestyles in relation to the natural environment in which they live, lendingcredence to the concept of ethno or indigenised development in contrast to notions of asset exploitationexpressed within orthodox development. The emergence of the global Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) with their imperatives for protecting biodiversity and the rainforests as well as combattingclimate change focusses greater attention on the role of indigenous peoples as stewards of fragile ecosystemsthat are highly susceptible to global warming. The experiences of applying ICTs to indigeniseddevelopment within Borneo’s rainforest communities - helping them maintain eco-friendly lifestyles,conserve biodiversity and record their traditional knowledge about the climate - carries lessons ofglobal significance for the wider achievement of the SGDs and the future of our planet.

Digital Socio-Technical Innovation and Indigenous Knowledge

“…It was set up in 2015 as The Alliance of the Indigenous Peoples of the Highlands in the Heart of Borneo. According to Bala, et al [3] the initiative is "to build on the shared historical and cultural bonds between the Lundayeh, Kelabit, Lun Bawang, and Sa'ban peoples living in the highlands of the heart of Borneo. The group aims to integrate conservation and development at the landscape level and to generate benefits for local people by preserving the rich natural and cultural diversity of the region, an area that includes the largest surviving intact forested and traditionally farmed catchment area on the island of Borneo.…”