Numerous studies show the profound impacts of climate change on Indigenous peoples across different countries
[1,2,3][1][2][3]. These impacts have negative consequences for Indigenous communities, who are often poor and rely heavily on natural resources to sustain their livelihoods
[4,5][4][5]. The extent of the impact of shocks and stresses at the community level depends on the intensity of climate hazards combined with the vulnerability and the capacity of those affected to cope with them
[6,7][6][7]. Indigenous communities experience different levels of impact based on their livelihoods
[4,8,9][4][8][9]. Rising temperature averages increase farmers’ irrigation costs and reduce hunters’ potential hunt, while extreme waves and wind reduce fishermen’s working days
[4]. In the tourism industry, storms, droughts, and floods adversely affect tourism destination areas
[10]. These hazards cause damage to infrastructure and built assets while discouraging tourist arrivals because of risk perceptions of the regions as unsafe, thus causing significant economic loss
[11]. These studies show that Indigenous peoples experience various impacts on their livelihood routines and may resort to different coping strategies to alleviate these impacts
[12]. However, there is not much understanding of how multiple climate change impacts affect Indigenous economic activities, such as loss of natural resources and reduced tourism income, and influence Indigenous persons’ attitudes, support, and participation in climate adaptation.
2. The Context of a Study
Out of thirteen states, Sabah (73,000 km
2) is the second largest state in Malaysia. The Kinabatangan district is located in East Sabah, under the administration of the Sandakan division. Kinabatangan River is the largest and longest river in Sabah. It has a length of 560 km and a catchment area of 16,800 km
2 and covers almost 23% of the total land area of Sabah. The river is one meter above sea level, but it can rise as high as 12 m above sea level during heavy rain. Most Kinabatangan villages are located in the lowlands along the river. Historically, the Kinabatangan area is dominated by natives known as Orang Sungai (River people)
[36][20]. The majority of the Sungai people are Muslim, and they live in scattered settlements along the Kinabatangan River. The Sungai people have always lived along the Kinabatangan River to barter (a traditional exchange) forest products with traders who sail on this river
[36,37][20][21]. The Sungai people engage in subsistence farming, fishing, seasonal fruit harvest, collection, and the sale of forest harvest
[38,39][22][23]. Some Indigenous people work in different governmental, private, tourism, or conservation sectors
[38,41][22][24]. Despite various economic opportunities, most Sungai people today still practice traditional livelihoods to sustain their daily living
[41][24]. Conventional farming and fishing highly depend on climate, rendering them susceptible to climate hazards.
The Malaysian government implemented poverty reduction strategies over the past decades to improve the livelihoods of Indigenous peoples throughout the nation
[42][25]. Nevertheless, this Indigenous population remains socio-economically marginalized
[42][25]. In Sabah, they are denied native land customary rights. The majority of residents accept partial recognition of official land ownership, yet their lives and survival are dependent on it. The Indigenous communities in Kinabatangan have limited access to basic amenities, such as a clean water supply. Some areas in the Kinabatangan cannot be reached by road. The communities have to cross over the Kinabatangan River using a boat or ferry
[43][26]. In 2005, the Sabah government established Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and enforced Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, which resulted in limited access to hunting and harvesting natural resources
[44][27]. A proposal has been made to build a 350 m bridge to connect Sukau village to opposite villages across the vast Kinabatangan River. The bridge and paved roads are necessary for economic development in this area
[43][26]. However, this suggestion sparked controversy among Kinabatangan stakeholders, including local and international conservationists. They have great concerns that the bridge would cause significant landscape changes and the potential risk of wildlife extinction when large-sized animals cannot migrate through fragmented landscapes
[45][28]. In 2017, the Sabah government discarded this plan, resulting in a public protest by some Indigenous communities
[46][29]. The marginalization of Indigenous peoples, insufficient access to proper amenities, and the conservation pressure are compound issues that challenge the survival and livelihoods of the natives in this region.
3. Climate Change Impact and Adaptation
The Kinabatangan area is well known for spectacular but critically endangered wildlife species, such as the Bornean orangutan, Bornean elephant, and the proboscis monkey. These animals attract local and international tourists to view the animals in their natural habitat
[38,41][22][24]. These animals can be seen along the Kinabatangan River during the driest season between March to September. Few tourists come to the Kinabatangan from December to January because of heavy rain leading to flooding; thus, the villagers obtain lower incomes. Globally, the diminution of biodiversity is related to increases in extreme weather events, barriers to dispersal, and changes in trophic levels
[47][30]. For example, cyclones can alter the onset of sexual maturity in turtles, floods can reduce plant species richness, and prolonged droughts have caused population collapse in koalas
[48][31]. In Kinabatangan, extensive forest conversion to oil palm plantations has resulted in significant habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to biodiversity loss
[31,33][32][33]. Habitat loss and climate change can act synergistically, thus amplifying their negative impacts on biodiversity
[34]. Orangutans in the Kinabatangan feed primarily on fruits. The reduction in natural food sources during a prolonged drought can lead the orangutans to starvation and aggravate human-wildlife conflict when they resort to entering villagers’ orchards to search for food
[31,32][32][35]. Increased drought periods negatively affect tree survival, while warm temperature adversely affects fish species by correlating with disease proliferation
[49][36]. The anthropogenic impacts on the biodiversity resources, coupled with a changing climate, have negatively affected the Kinabatangan tourism industry because the flagship attraction is wildlife
[38,50][22][37]. Kinabatangan also attracts international organizations for conservation work such as tree planting in Batu Puteh and Sukau villages
[31][32].
Other pressing issues occurring in the Kinabatangan are climate-related phenomena such as floods and forest fires, though the climate influences the latter indirectly. The communities in the Kinabatangan depend much on the Kinabatangan River and surrounding aquatic water resources for their livelihoods and domestic water consumption
[51][38]. Unfortunately, timber logging in upstream Kinabatangan areas deteriorates water quality and increases flood risk due to changing hydrology. In addition, land clearance for oil palm plantations causes severe soil erosion, and the resultant displaced soil is washed into the Kinabatangan River
[33]. During dry periods and less rainfall, the communities encounter a shortage of clean water supply. Seasonal floods are primarily linked to human factors and activities in land use. However, heavy rain also raises the water level of the Kinabatangan River, leading to severe flooding, which can cause human death, property damage, and economic loss
[52][39]. The Indigenous communities encounter recurring floods with occasional landslides every year. Forest fires have significant effects on biodiversity resources. For example, a massive fire destroyed about 200 hectares of Kinabatangan forest reserve in 2016; as commented by a conservationist, “Over the years, a huge amount of resources, such as time and money, have been spent by many stakeholders to conserve Kinabatangan biodiversity, there is still more that needs to be done to ensure that wildlife, forest, and Kinabatangan peoples can exist in harmony and benefit each other. Everybody loses if decades of hard work and dedication go up in smoke”
[53][40] (p. 2). The recurring incidence of forest fires is commonly observed to be related to hunters utilizing unsustainable methods to drive animals out of their hiding places. During a drought season, dry and strong wind spread the fire to an adjacent sanctuary and Indigenous settlement
[44][27]. Lessons learned from these issues are that the hazards can cause significant damage to Indigenous lives, properties, and natural resources. There is a need to engage the communities to solve this problem and participate in local climate adaptation.
The Malaysian government has included specific guidelines designed to address climate change impacts in the National Policy on Climate Change and the Malaysia Plans. However, many of the strategies prioritize mitigation over adaptation plans, such as promoting energy efficiency among the public and reducing GHG emissions
[54][41]. At the national level, critical areas that require adaptation are agriculture, drought, flood, erosion, forest, biodiversity, and coastal marine habitat. Initiatives undertaken by the Malaysian government include increasing awareness among the public across the nation, such as the launching of an official website known as ‘Infobanjir’ (flood) and ‘InfoKemarau’ (drought) to provide information on forecasting and monitoring of both hazards, including to facilitate emergency responses
[55][42]. There is a weather observation and radar station in the Sandakan Meteorological Office, which produces daily weather forecasts for Kinabatangan and early warnings of adverse weather phenomena, such as continuous heavy rain, thunderstorms, drought, strong winds, and haze. Several strategies undertaken to adapt to climate change impacts are: to improve drainage in Kinabatangan areas vulnerable to flooding, to slow down animal population decline by increasing habitat corridors, and quick responses from the District Disaster Management Committee to evacuate flood victims to safe places
[34,56][34][43]. However, Malaysia’s climate adaptation does not adequately incorporate Indigenous coping strategies
[54][41]. Understanding Indigenous perceptions of climate change impacts is critical because the government requires their knowledge to prepare for effective adaptation strategies
[16,57][44][45].