Sustainability - A Matter of Choice

The dilemma of the lban hunter



In the forests of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, the Iban hunter follows the trail of the wild bearded pig. Led by the yelping of his dogs, he comes upon them suddenly, surrounding the prey they have cornered. But as the hunter raises his gun he realizes that the pig is pregnant.

He pauses to think. If he kills the pig, he provides, at the cost of a morning's work and a spent bullet, fresh meat for his family and other members of his village. But he knows that in killing the pig he is killing the piglets as well, and there will be fewer still to go round.

Numbers of bearded pigs have been dwindling in this Batang Ai area of the state over the past decade. This is not because the people are starving. There are domestic pigs, and scrawny kampung (village) chickens, and also meat from the town, though this is expensive and not as tasty. The hunter does not have to kill the pig. But if he doesn't, someone else may, and the hunter will lose both ways. What is he to do?

The story of the Iban hunter makes two points. First, that he has a choice between sustainable and unsustainable action. He can live for today, or he can live - and let live - for tomorrow. Second, his interests are bound up with and dependent on the actions of other people. If no hunter kills a pregnant pig, their numbers will rise again, and everybody will benefit.

WWF believes that we all, like the Iban hunter, have a choice. We can choose to live on nature's capital, or on the interest. And if we live only for today, there will be no future for any of us.



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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature