Indonesia: Preserve & Sustain tribal rules & cultures that preserve forest!
In Lubuk Beringin village, Bathin III Ulu district in Bungo regency,
Jambi members of the community have been managing and exploiting the
forest in a sensible and sustainable manner by sticking to local
customs carried out for generations. This has apparently created a
preserved forest.
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The rules are incorporated in the Village Conservation Treaty: one
states that members of the community have agreed not to cultivate on
steep or sloping plots, riverbanks and the upper reaches of the river,
to prevent landslides, floods and soil erosion. “The pact also
explicitly states that protection here is aimed at preventing the
water source for irrigation from being damaged,” said Rakhmad Hidayat,
executive director of the Jambi branch of the Indonesian Committee for
Humanity Conservation Information Center (KKI Warsi). Villagers also
agreed to look after the Rantau Bayur preserved forest, which is a
part of the Batang Buat River basin’s catchment area.
A number of related approaches to support effective forest management have long been agreed upon and implemented, such as rules on the preservation of protected forest, rubber agroforestry areas and efficient use of the natural water source of the village. The Batang Buat is an integral
part of life in the village, as it supplies water for irrigation,
propels water mills to generate power, is a source of clean water and
a breeding place for fish. “So it is essential for villagers to apply
for a forest management permit based on a sustainable ecosystem as
soon as possible,” Rakhmad said. The residents’ objective is in line
with Forestry Ministry Decree No. 49 on community forests, in which
forest management is focused to provide access to the local community
through a village council, by exploiting forest resources and
improving their well-being in a sustainable manner.
“The community is looking to implement this concept as an effort to preserve the forest around the village,” Rakhmad added. To achieve this, the village chief and head of the village executive board in Lubuk Beringin have
proposed the Bungo regent turn the Bukit Panjang preserved forest in
Rantau Bayur, spanning 2,356 hectares into a forest reserve managed by
the village. “If the forestry minister issues a decree for the forest
reserve, it will be the first in Indonesia,” Rakhmad said. Bungo
Regent Zulfikar Achmad has responded to the initiative and vowed to
push ahead with the proposal for the Forestry Ministry to designate
the area as a reserved operational forest for Lubuk Beringin
residents.
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