The evolving role of tropical forests for local livelihoods in Indonesia Imam Basuki; Sheil, D; Padmanaba, M; Liswanti, N; Mulcahy, G; Wan, M International Conference of Indonesia Forestry Researchers – Bogor, 6 December 2011
The evolving role of tropical forests for local livelihoods in Indonesia
Jun 21, 2015
Locals along Malinau River in East Kalimantan say village life is improving, thanks to development projects, logging and mining activities, but they are concerned about the declining quality of their forests and the environment. The trade-off is negative to their livelihoods, especially in the long-term. Forest communities, often living in remote areas, support both development and conservation efforts. Giving greater control to local people in managing tropical forests, e.g. through adaptive and collaborative management, therefore offers both environmental and development benefits. CIFOR scientist Imam Basuki gave a presentation on these findings in a parallel session of the inaugral International Conference of Indonesian Forestry Researchers (INAFOR), held from 5 – 7 December 2011 in Bogor, Indonesia. INAFOR aims to provide a knowledge-sharing forum for Indonesia’s forestry scientists from governmental agencies or the private sector, and is planned as a preparatory forum for Indonesia’s increased involvement in IUFRO (the International Union of Forest Research Organisations).
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The evolving role of tropical forests for local livelihoods in Indonesia
Imam Basuki; Sheil, D; Padmanaba, M; Liswanti, N; Mulcahy, G; Wan, M International Conference of Indonesia Forestry Researchers – Bogor, 6 December 2011
Presenter
Presentation Notes
1. This research shows how the role of forests has changed for local people in an area of Indonesia.
Introduction
Presenter
Presentation Notes
2. As introduction, I am going to describe facts and knowledge on forestry, development and livelihood.
Forests, development and livelihoods
• Forests’ goods and services are important for millions of people across the tropics. (Byron & Arnold 1999; World Bank 2008; Kainer et al. 2009)
• Overall impacts of development are often unclear and large numbers of people living in forested areas remain poor. (Scherr et al. 2003; Dudley et al. 2008; Sunderlin et al. 2008)
• Forests, climate change and competition – can forests be sustainable and alleviate poverty?
Presenter
Presentation Notes
3a. Forests are important for millions of people in the tropics, mostly for survival and subsistence, but also for economic growth. 3b. Development in forestry brings unclear outcomes to people in terms of empowerment and wealth. Various outcomes on forest habitat depend on the development approach. 3c. Facing forces like deforestation and land-use competition, forestry policies should aim to alleviate poverty, empower people and enhance forest sustainability.
Malinau: changes and uncertainty
• The monetary crisis of 1997 and reformation
• Palm oil and other commodities prospecting by private investors. (Sheil et al. 2006; Sandker et al. 2007; Dudley et al. 2008)
• Decentralisation increases local authority over timber and plantation concessions. (Barr et al. 2006; Moeliono 2006; Wollenberg 2006; Colfer et al. 2008; Wunder et al. 2008; Moeliono et al. 2009)
Researchers can ask local views to
highlight and characterize the +/- trends, and their impacts.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
4a. Complex situation and challenges also driving forces in the district of Malinau’s forests and livelihoods. Change drivers include monetary crisis, reformation, palm oil and decentralisation. 4b. Researchers can ask for local views to highlight the +/- trends/events with their impacts, that may help to inform better management of forests.
• To identify and explore key changes in the role of forests and local livelihoods.
• Identifying important trends/events as perceived by the people themselves.
• To examine and discuss what these changing perceptions imply for conservation and development
Objectives
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Presentation Notes
5b. Objectives.
Research Sites & Methods
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6a. A short description of Malinau villages, and research methods.
Research site
The district covers 39,800 km2 — with < 3 person/ km2 in its mountainous topography. (Basuki & Sheil 2005; BPS Kaltim 2009) Over 90% of Malinau district remains forested, of which 19,000 km2 is production forests.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
7a. Malinau covers almost 40,000 km2, 90% forested, with only <3 person/km2. Is it that impossible to alleviate poverty out of this richness?
Research site
From 2004 to 2009, Malinau District’s economic growth from 1.24% to 8.96%. Ethnic groups: Merap, Kenyah and Punan (Kaskija 2002) Villagers living upstream and downstream of the Malinau River rely differently on forests. (Sheil et al. 2006) Source: BPS Kab. Malinau 2010
Presenter
Presentation Notes
8a. From 2004-2009, 96% of economic growth in Malinau was contributed mostly by agriculture, forestry and mining. Yet, different ethnicities and people living in poverty up- and down-stream of Malinau river, outside the Malinau town. 8b. Economic growth is not reflected in the wealth of people in Malinau.
Methods
• Measuring change in forests’ importance • 26 groups from 7 villages • Scoring exercises on forest and other
landscapes
• Identifying trends/events and their impacts • Spider-gram exercises
• Exploring changes in livelihoods and forests
• Questionnaires: trends/events, impacts and people’s adaptation
Presenter
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9a. Simple and applicable method to record people’s views and knowledge.
Methods
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10a. Pictures show different activities like scoring exercises, spider-gram, and interview.
Results & Discussion
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11a. Results and implications
Importance of forests
• The significance of forest is declining for all communities
• Most of the villagers, as in 1999, still considered forest as the most important land type
0 5
10 15 20 25 30
1999 2008
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12a. Increasing significance in Punan Rian because they are closer now to forests than before moving.
Events affecting livelihoods and forests
• There are five main influencing trends/events to forest and livelihood
• Others: resettlement, endemic human diseases, the monetary crisis of 1998, new democratic process, shifts in the seasons, conflicts etc.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Development projects
Companies activities
Floods Decreasing rice yield
Decreasing eaglewood
Others
Woman
Man
Presenter
Presentation Notes
13a. There are five significant trends and events influencing forests and livelihoods. 13b. Others include resettlement, endemic human diseases, monetary crisis, etc.
Development projects
• While the development projects improved village facilities, villagers perceived that this was at the expense of forest resources
Presenter
Presentation Notes
14a. Development, so far, benefitting livelihoods but hurts forests resources. No plan and management on using the timber from the forests.
Logging and mining
• Villagers explained that the companies’ activities brought tradeoffs:
• Livelihoods (+ income, skills, education)
• Forests and environmental degradation (- eaglewood, timber, rattan, bushmeat, access, and + pollution)
Presenter
Presentation Notes
15a. Companies brought trade-offs between livelihood gains and environment costs.
Floods
• Two major floods in 1999 and 2006 increased local people’s use of the forest for food and construction materials.
• Villagers upstream considered human disease as a more important impact because the village had no health facilities.
Presenter
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16a. Floods push people to fall back on forest resources. Not enough aid and support from local government.
Decreasing rice yield
• Plant pests and diseases significantly affect crops.
• Upstream villagers adapt to forest food and products
Presenter
Presentation Notes
17. Plant pests and diseases also push people to collect resources from forests to compensate for decreasing rice yield, especially the upstream villagers.
Decreasing eaglewood
• Yields of eaglewood have been decreasing leading to a significant decrease in their income.
• Villagers compensate with selling rattan, bush meat and agriculture.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
18a. Another example of forest importance for local resilience facing crisis.
Implications
• Despite the many positive trends in livelihood most informants feel
• While local people are not anti-development, they are increasingly concerned about environmental impacts and long-term consequences
• This study suggests that local people will give more support to development projects that respect and maintain their access to forest
Presenter
Presentation Notes
19a. Witnessing the impact of development to forest and environment degradation, they will give more support to approach/program that respect and maintain their access to forest resources.
Implications
• A greater formal role in forest management would provide opportunities for the villagers to use their forest resources for their own development (Sheil et al. 2006).
• The extent and quality of forests are declining and local people, though concerned, have not been able to prevent this
• Funds and skills to support customary protected forests.
• Forest-cover as a desirable part of the long-term land-use plan, also in respect of the needs and aspirations of local people.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
20a. Greater formal role and skills provided for villagers will enable them to utilise their forest resources for their own development. 20b. Long-term land-use planning for sustainable forests and alleviating poverty should include the role and aspiration of local people within the process.
Conclusions
• Local people perceive forests as becoming less significant with the forest loss, degradation and problems of access
• Local knowledge, culture and livelihoods can be beneficially integrated with forest management
• With existing local and global support for forest conservation, decision makers still have opportunities to optimise the tradeoffs of conservation and development
~Thank you~
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