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GIS and participatory management of a protected forest in east
Kalimantan, Indonesia
David Craven1
Abstract
The River Wain Protected Forest is the last remaining area of Borneo lowland dipterocarp forest on the
coastal plain of East Kalimantan in Indonesia. Located within the city limits of Balikpapan, the province's
oil-rich commercial center, the protected forest is refuge to incredibly diverse plant and animal
communities. It occupies two small river basins that serve as the city's principal sources of fresh water,
and it has great potential as a resource for education and recreation. But the River Wain Protected Forest
is under severe threat from farmers, road-builders and developers. More than half of its 10,000 hectares
was severely damaged by the catastrophic fires of 1997/98. Realizing that they could lose their little gem
in the very near future if they sit back and do nothing, the people of Balikpapan have begun to take action.
First steps have included forming a multisectoral management board for the protected area, conducting
awareness-raising campaigns in schools, mosques and shopping centers, stepping up security patrols, and
mobilizing local villagers to participate in forest management activities. Several groups have begun to
develop computer mapping and GIS applications to support all these efforts.
Unlike most of Borneo's remaining primary forest, the River Wain Protected Forest is small, accessible
and well mapped. These attributes make it a good candidate for developing an accurate and rich GIS
database. Still in the early stages of development, a GIS database developed at a local university has
already been put to good use by several groups of stakeholders. For example, the system is proving to be
an effective means of managing the complex sets of spatial data used by planners, regulators and
enforcers of the community's land use policies. Scientists and researchers are using the GIS to plan
fieldwork and store and analyze survey data. Maps and charts generated from the system have been used
very effectively to communicate information in large meetings in the spirit of transparency and
accountability. And environmentalists are using similar maps to document and monitor changes in forest
cover caused by conversion to agricultural land, road building, fire and other causes. The people of
Balikpapan are very proud of their forest, and they are committed to finding practical solutions to the
problems that threaten it. GIS is playing a key role in that search and providing some of the solutions the
stakeholders are looking for.
1. Introduction
Until three years ago most of Indonesia's local authorities had little or no experience regulating the use of
natural resources. Now, as the country struggles to reform its governance model and decentralize public
authority and responsibilities from Jakarta to the provinces, local authorities are having to shoulder more
1 The author works for Development Alternatives, Incorporated, 7250, Woodmont Avenue, Suite 200, Bethesda,
MD 20814, U.S.A. Tel: (++1) 301-718-8212; Fax: (++1) 301-718-7968;
E-mail: david_craven@dai.com
Mr. Craven worked as a GIS and Spatial Planning Specialist with USAID's Natural Resources Management
Program in Samarinda from May 2000 - March 2001.
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