Tackling the NCR land transformation challenges: The need for a participatory mapping approach

For indigenous people of Sarawak, land is the most important resource for the survival of their tribe. It is not unexpected, therefore, that issue of ownership and boundaries of NCR (Native Customary Rights Land) is the common cause of conflict between native communities of the state. This article takes a closer look at the nature of this conflict in Sarawak. The study employed content analysis of secondary data obtained from field studies. Results showed that disputes between the native communities in Sarawak over customary land were driven by two main factors. Firstly, the use by the native communities as reference terms and as the basis for the delineation of the NCR land of ambiguous verbal information mostly informed by oral storytelling which were passed on from generation to generation such as vegetation, hills and rivers. Secondly, the failure of existing conventional mapping to take into account the use of informal references and other local verbal information by the communities to mark out the NCR land ownership during the delineation of the land boundary. These situations have given rise to overlapping and thus led to conflict. To rectify, informal local knowledge must be incorporated in the boundary demarcation of customary land in Sarawak. This points to the imperative of a community participatory approach - that recognizes the knowledge of local people with respect to ownership and boundaries - in digital mapping as a tool to facilitate the transformation of the development of customary land in Sarawak.