Alutok, Ulu Tomani, is located 30 km from the small town of Kemabong and 45 km from the town of Tenom. This village has a population of around 410 people who are of Murut Tahol descent. The main source of income is from the cultivation of hill paddy and wet paddy while the production of handicrafts provides supplementary income. Cultivation of rubber and coffee also provides long-term economic income. We still rely upon forest resources for our daily needs as well.

In 1983, the state government gazetted the Ulu Tomani Forest Reserve, a Class II Forest Reserve. This gazettement has caused an overlap between our customary territory and the Forest Reserve, resulting in our customary territory being increasingly constricted and our lack of access to the forest and its resources.

Furthermore, land clearing and development of plantations have caused the destruction of native trees and natural resources, affecting clean water supply and aquatic life in the river due to pollution as well as limiting access to forest for resource collection needed for food, medicine, building materials and handicrafts.
The Murut Tahol ethnic group has a very unique culture in Sabah. From the times of our ancestors, our daily lives have been very dependent on natural resources, especially those from the forest, through hunting, gathering and fishing. The close relationship between our daily lives with nature have made our community rich in traditional knowledge regarding sustainable resource management which has been passed down from generation to generation.

For the Murut, one of the most unique ceremonies we celebrate is our wedding ceremonies. Hunting and forest resource gathering is important as the resources obtained are essential components in carrying out the ceremony. As such, adequate preparation is needed and it takes about a year or according to the period of engagement decided to make the preparations. To ensure food resources from the forest is enough and that it would be continuously available for future use, a system known as Tavol has been used from generation to generation.

Nowadays, the practice of Tavol is gradually diminishing as our customary territory becomes increasingly limited and squeezed due to overlaps with gazetted Forest Reserve land (Ulu Tomani Forest Reserve) and the cultivation of pulpwood by Sabah Forest Industries (SFI). Apart from overlaps with the forest reserve, other problems encountered in the implementation of the Tavol system also include encroachment in the Tavol area, lack of awareness and respect to traditional customary rules as well as disturbances to the ecosystem and degradation of resources due to open burning in the Tavol area.
There is also the problem of villagers migrating outside the village to find work in order to provide for their families because of falling commodity prices and irregular economic incomes. This has resulted in many youth who are not interested and are unable to practice this tradition.
This proposal is aimed to increase the awareness and recognisation of Tavol practices by local community and local authorities through awareness workshop and organizing of Tavol Day. The Tavol practices is an importance traditional practices in ensuring the sustainable care and management of natural resources. Community will conduct resource mapping of important and high value resources in the customary territory and documentation of handicraft types as non-timber forest products. The roles of women in determining Tavol areas will also be documented.