Posted on 15 July 2013
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By Lorens, Hendri Ziasmono and Agus Efensius
The world has now mostly agreed that damage
to our forests is accelerating climate change
and global warming therefore, we can only
now avoid causing more damage and fix what’s
left. In the Heart of Borneo area, forest
restoration is a priority. One example is
a corridor restoration project which has
focused on the areas between Betung Kerihun
National Park and Danau Sentarum National
Park, in Kapuas Hulu District, West Kalimantan.
WWF-Indonesia’s new
book, Communities and Conservation: 50 Inspiring
Stories from WWF to Indonesia, is a celebration
of WWF-Indonesia’s 50-year long journey
as a conservation organization. Emerging
strongly from that long journey and all
the stories in the book is the lesson that
communities are on the front line of conservation
and need to be key partners in conservation.
Eighteen of the fifty stories are from the
Heart of Borneo, but all the stories show
the effectiveness of conservation when indigenous
peoples, their knowledge and practices,
are involved in the decision making process.
This is also well illustrated by the following
story.
Over 50,000 trees were
planted across 300,000 hectares
The restoration project
has been running since 2009 involving 42
households in three small villages in the
Sedik River, Tekalong and Sepan areas. Villagers
have planted 57,930 trees on 300,985 hectares
with species such as Patai (Parkia speciosa),
Langsat (Lansium domesticum), Meranti or
Tengkawang (Shorea stenoptera), Durian (Durio
zibethinus), Agarwood or Gaharu (Aquilaria
malaccensis), Belian – Borneo ironwood (Eusideroxylon
zwageri), Meranti (Shorea parvifolia), Sibau
- wild rambutan (Nephelium maingayii), Longan
(Dimocarpus longan), Ucung or tampoi paya
(Baccaurea bracteata), Rambai (Baccaurea
motleyana), Tekam (Shorea sp), Tembesu (Fragrea
fragrans) and rubber (Hevea brasilliensis).
The community does a
mix of planting on their own farming land
(kebun) and on customary land (tanah adat)
in the protected forest of Bukit Lanjak.
The restoration area is important orangutan
(Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) habitat and they,
like the local community, have been benefitting
from the forest for their livelihoods.
Combining the replantation
program with the community has strengthened
forest management in the area, paying respect
to local wisdom. Following spatial analysis
and socio-economic studies, the replantation
program began involving the local community
in 2010. They were involved in formulating
goals, identifying potential, and to realise
the goal with their knowledge and local
resources. The trees and vegetation chosen
are endemic species and popular in the community
with seeds and seedlings able to be provided
locally.
WWF supported the community
through teaching sustainable farming techniques
such as building a nursery centre, land
measurement, planting, treatment and monitoring.
Additionally, through the field school,
farmers were encouraged to share knowledge
and collaboratively solve problems.
WWF promotes voluntary
community participation and, through the
field school program, self-education using
the Andragogi approach, an approach on learning
of adults, which enhances people's insight,
attitudes and skills. “The change of attitude
from a subsistence community to one that
is creatively and cooperatively working
towards sustainable livelihood development
is basically because the community is open-minded
and welcomes support from outside. That’s
what we call social modality,” explains
Lorens, Senior Corridor Officer WWF-Indonesia
West Kalimantan Program.
Community and institutional
empowerment are important factors for the
restoration program in the longer term.
The role of the customary council and strong
organisation is the key. WWF assists communities
on thematic discussions (based on need),
providing training on organisation skills,
and building access to wider networks, such
as the government of Kapuas Hulu District.
In terms of economic
aspects, WWF trained women on entrepreneurship
and how to organise an agro-business group.
Today, the women’s groups, particularly
in Sungai Sedik and Tekalong, have developed
a vegetable business. The profit from the
seedling business is forwarded to develop
other potential and productive businesses.
A sustainable alternative
income can help reduce pressure on the forest
and allow the community to protect their
forest while still being able to tap into
its economic benefits.
Gideon, from Sui Abau
Village, said “we have experienced the impacts
of deforestation and the main problem is
water. If the forest is gone, we will lose
the water. After two years of this replantation
program, the water is back. We expect more
activities like this in the future.”
Community-based restoration
projects provide a response to climate change
that can help make the planet greener and
more liveable.
