Site icon Conservation news

Traditional farming technique preserves soil, forest in Kalimantan


A kekalik fruit tree grows in an agroforestry plot in West Kalimantan. Photo by Andi Fachrizal.

A kekalik fruit tree grows in a “dahas” agroforestry plot in West Kalimantan. Photo by Andi Fachrizal.



The road winds five kilometers through a thick canopy of trees before ending abruptly at a stream and a small, stout wooden cabin in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Amid, the cabin’s owner, proudly explains that he constructed it from local hardwoods—high value trees still readily available in the surrounding hills.



Several years ago, Amid, a native Dayak, chose to move with his wife and family to this remote location in the forest, some distance away from his village, Petebang Jaya. Here, he grows or constructs most everything he needs. The few necessities that can’t be made or harvested from the forest he purchases during infrequent trips to town.



“Before, this area was a rice field. After the grain was harvested, we opened new land for rice, and planted the old field with fruit, rubber, and timber tree species,” Amid says, explaining what the locals call “dahas”—or managed forestry. “And this is the result: the forest remains intact.”




Petebang Jaya abuts lush forest in West Kalimantan. Photo by Andi Fachrizal.



Instead of abandoning fields after nutrients are diminished and productivity declines, farmers in this region replant them with a variety of fruit and timber species. These trees produce food and eventually lumber, while they regenerate the soil for future crops. After five to ten years the trees are cut and the area will be replanted with rice.



“For hundreds of years, our people have managed the forest like this,” says Amid. “My children already have families, and have their own dahas. We feel that the dahas are like our surrogate grandchildren—that is, it would be a sin to abandon them.”



Amid, like the other residents of Petebang Jaya, is keenly aware of the relationship between the forest, water quality and sustainable agriculture. He says that it is important to keep the land and water quality high in order to grow the rice upon which his village depends. To that end, the dahas serve as investment banks for the future.






As of June 2014, Indonesia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, with 840,000 hectares of forest lost in 2012 alone. According to Global Forest Watch, West Kalimantan – where Petebang Jaya is located – has been severely affected by plantation development and logging, with most of its standing primary forest now degraded. It should be noted that not all tree cover loss (pink) on the map represents deforestation; it also incorporates plantation harvesting. Click to enlarge.



The areas of forest that have been traditionally managed are abundant with a variety of fruit, ensuring that something can be harvested at nearly all times throughout the year. Some of the trees grew naturally and are cultivated to maximize production, while others were planted to enhance productivity.



There are currently 616 people living at Petebang Jaya. Collectively, the village manages 6,600 hectares of high conservation value (HCV) land. Through careful management, the community has divided the area into agricultural zones, rubber forests, fruit forests, and natural forest. In one area above the village, where springs flow year round, it is forbidden to disturb the forest in any way.



The residents of Petebang Jaya understand the need to protect the land to ensure that the spring flows. They understand the need to replant farmlands to keep the system in balance. They have a connection to, and understanding of the land rarely comprehended by outsiders. They live sustainably, continuing the practices established hundreds of years ago by their ancestors: take what one needs, maintain the diversity, and manage the forest for future generations.






SOURCE: Fachrizal, Andi. Dahas, Inilah Bank Hutan untuk Menjaga Sumber Air Kehidupan. Mongabay-Indonesia. September 17, 2014.







Citations:










}}


Related articles





Half of Indonesia’s deforestation occurs outside concession areas

(01/06/2015) Roughly half of Indonesia’s natural forest loss occurs outside officially designated concession areas, concludes a new assessment that also finds higher deforestation rates in places with worse forest governance scores. The report, released last month by Forest Watch Indonesia, is based on analysis of satellite data spanning the archipelago. Unlike assessments by the Ministry of Forestry, the data includes areas outside the ‘forest estate’.

Featured video: new documentary highlights ‘Sumatra Burning’

(01/05/2015) A new half-hour documentary investigate the impact of the palm oil industry in Indonesia, including burning forests and peatlands as well as haze spreading across Indonesian borders. Entitled Sumatra Burning, the documentary explores palm oil production on the island of Sumatra, which is experiencing some of the highest deforestation rates on the planet.

Rainforests: 10 things to watch in 2015

(01/02/2015) 2014 was a landmark year for tropical rainforests, with dozens of major companies committing to eliminating deforestation from their supply chains, the launch of new platforms for monitoring forests, and sharp drop in clearing in the Brazilian Amazon, among other big developments. Here’s a quick look ahead at what might be in store for tropical forests in 2015.

Monkey sleep, monkey do: how primates choose their trees

(12/31/2014) Primates don’t monkey around when deciding where to spend the night, but primatologists have had a poor grasp on what drives certain monkeys toward specific trees. Now, two extensive studies of Indonesian primates suggest that factors in selecting trees each evening are site-specific and different for each species—and that some overnight spots result in conflicts between monkeys and humans.

Activists call out ‘one of the worst actors in pulp and paper’

(12/30/2014) The owner of the only mill in Indonesia equipped to produce dissolving pulp, Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), is being held out as emblematic of the risks the industry’s massive recent growth pose to endangered forests.

2014: the year in rainforests

(12/30/2014) 2014 could be classified as ‘The Year of the Zero Deforestation Commitment’. During 2014, nearly two dozen major companies, ranging from palm oil producers to fast food chains to toothpaste makers, established policies to exclude palm oil sourced at the expense of rainforests and peatlands.

Top 10 HAPPY environmental stories of 2014

(12/29/2014) In what was widely seen as a possible breakthrough in the battle to coordinate some kind of response to global warming, China and the U.S. announced joint actions this year. On November 12th, the world’s two most powerful countries surprised pretty much everyone by announcing that they would work together to tackle the crisis.

Indonesia’s silent wildlife killer: hunting

(12/26/2014) By and large, Indonesia is a peaceful country. In fact, on the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime’s list of homicide rates, Indonesia ranks number 10, making Indonesians one of the least murderous people on Earth. A ban on gun ownership probably helps, although obviously there are many other ways to snuff out another person. Maybe Indonesia’s general tendency to avoid conflict helps, too. Whatever the reason why Indonesians are relatively unlikely to kill each other, such favors are not extended to Indonesia’s non-human wildlife. The relative safety of Indonesia’s people does not guarantee similar security for its animals.

Connecting the Dots: from Christmas Cookies to Climate Change

(12/26/2014) Harrison Ford checking out everyday products to see which ones contain palm oil. Not exactly the high-octane activity we associate with an adventurer like Ford…so what gives? Ford cares about the ingredients used to make these products because our high demand for these everyday consumer goods is directly tied to high rates of deforestation and climate change. He was in the frozen food aisle to find out just how prevalent palm oil is in our food supply.

Exit mobile version