Oil palms threaten Malaysia's tribal arts

CAREY ISLAND, Malaysia: Their artworks have been recognized as part of the world's heritage and can fetch thousands of dollars in auctions, but the Mah Meri tribe, and their wood carving tradition, are increasingly falling victim to Malaysia's lucrative palm oil industry.

For the Mah Meri, who are known as the "people of the forest", to create their prized wood carvings depends on them getting access to the few mangrove swamps that still stand within the oil palm estates on the 32,000-acre Carey island in central Malaysia, an area twice the size of Manhattan.

But guards patrolling the estates do not always let them in, threatening a tradition that is acknowledged by the United Nation's Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to be part of the world's heritage.