The Principles of Conservation and Development: Do They Apply in Malinau?

Abstract

Attempts to reconcile economic development with environmental conservation in a forest area in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, are reviewed for the district of Malinau, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, an area of 42,000 km 2 that is still largely covered in rainforest. The history of the region is described and the conservation and development impacts of external drivers of change are assessed. Both government and conservation organizations have subscribed to the rhetoric of pursuing development pathways that would be sustainable and would conserve the rich biodiversity of the area. Three distinct approaches to conservation have been attempted. First spatial planning has been used to attribute land to different uses and particularly to identify and designate protected areas. Second, measures have been taken to lessen the negative environmental impact of industrial logging and to promote the preservation of biodiversity in logged forests. Last, decentralized and community-based management has been promoted on the assumption that this would yield better environmental and social outcomes than large-scale industrial development. These conservation measures have been pursued during a period when the governance of the region has been weak. Corruption, political collusion, and nepotism have been major factors in decision making about natural resources. We argue that a sustainable future for the district of Malinau must lie in finding an appropriate balance between protected areas, forests managed at both industrial and community scales, and land conversion. However, there is little empirical evidence that allows the outcomes of these approaches to be measured. The problem of knowing how conservation investments can be made in ways that optimize sustainable benefits to local livelihoods remains largely unresolved. A number of possible conservation and development pathways for the district are discussed.

Landscape scenarios visualized by Baka and Aka Pygmies in the Congo Basin

“…This differs from our experience in other parts of the world where people even in remote areas draw many elements from modern life in their representations of desirable futures. This is particularly the case with remote communities in Indonesia (Boedhihartono et al 2007). However, in Indonesia people in even the most remote areas are still exposed to modern media, particularly television.…”

“…Environmentalists and anthropologists often diverge in their views of interventions to favor indigenous forest dwelling people (Brosius 1999). Controversies have raged over the impact of development activities on hunter gatherer communities in Borneo (Brosius 1997;Boedhihartono et al 2007). It is notoriously difficult for external observers to avoid allowing their judgment to be influenced by their own experiences and disciplinary prejudices.…”

The prospect of the utilization of Non-Timber Forest Products from Setulang Village forest based on local knowledge of the Uma Longh community in Malinau, North Kalimantan, Indonesia

“…This scientific approach has neglected, traditional resource management based on local people's knowledge, cultural values and needs (Melese 2016). The concept of indigenous or extractive reserves that has both reduced deforestations and contributed to improved local livelihoods in some Latin American countries could potentially be implemented in Malinau area (Boedhihartono et al 2007). Local communities have motivation to use NTFPs from forest around them.…”

Can Community Forests Be Compatible With Biodiversity Conservation in Indonesia?

“…The system of adat (customary law) and religious belief systems clearly has an important role to play in community-based conservation initiatives in Indonesia [21,36,46]. Wadley and Colfer [47] have shown that Iban agroforestry systems and their land use practices may be important for local economic purposes, but they may also be valuable in promoting and enhancing the more global goals of biodiversity conservation.…”