Rhett Butler and William Laurance have written an interesting piece in TREE on strategies for conservation of tropical forests. They suggest that the main driver of deforestation at this point is not local people but rather multi-national corporations. Although this drastically changes the rate and scale at which land is being degraded, it also provides more direct pressure points through which conservation organizations can act. It’s much easier (and, honestly, politically feasible) to demand that a giant corporation stop cutting trees than indigenous people. Maybe that’s why Malaysia has decided to place the blame for deforestation on the locals?

Butler, R. and W. Laurance. New strategies for conserving tropical forests. TREE. 23:9. (doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2008.05.006)