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GIS and participatory management of a protected forest in east
Kalimantan, Indonesia
diversity of plant and animal life and because it is the catchment area for 75% of city's fresh water, the
River Wain Protection Forest is extremely important to the physical, social and economic well-being of
the people of Balikpapan. During the last 10 years a number of scientists, environmentalists and
conservationists have used the forest to rehabilitate orangutans and sun bears, study the effects of fire on
plant and animal ecology, engage local communities in forest management initiatives, and conduct
inventories of the forest's unique plant and animal communities. Thanks to awareness-raising campaigns
in schools, mosques and shopping centers, local recognition of the value of the River Wain Protection
Forest as a living laboratory and an educational resource is also growing.
But the protected area is also under threat from a number of sources, including encroachment, illegal
logging, road-building and fire. For several years farmers living along a 4km stretch of road that runs
along the northeast edge of the protected area have been converting the forest to agricultural land.
Problems associated with human encroachment include loss of biodiversity, degradation of water quality
from household waste, sewage and increased run-off, and added pressure on endangered species such as
orangutan and sun bears from poisons and traps set to catch other animals. In addition to clear-cutting to
convert natural forest to fields and gardens, selective illegal logging is also a big problem in the protected
area. Thousands of bangkirai, ulin and meranti trees have been extracted for their high-grade timber, and
more than 500 gaharu trees have been felled by collectors of gaharu resin, a product that commands a
high price for its medicinal and cosmetic properties (Fredriksson and de Kam, 1999). The third major
threat comes from plans to build a road skirting the protected area to the south and west. Construction has
already begun on the road, and if it is completed according to the current plan, not only will a large area
of mangrove forest outside the protected area be destroyed, but access to the protected area will be opened
up and encroachment will almost certainly increase.
Finally, fire represents an ever-present threat to any forest, and in the case of the River Wain Protection
Forest, the risk is increased because of the human activity in the area and significant coal deposits at or
near the earth's surface. Out-of-control fires from slash-and-burn activities are quite common, a problem
that is exacerbated when natural vegetation is cut and large amounts of dead, dry litter are left on the
ground. More than 50% of the protected area was damaged by fire in 1997/98, and unless encroachment,
illegal logging and general access to the forest are controlled, the probability of further destruction
remains very high.
Increasingly the people of Balikpapan and East Kalimantan are recognizing the River Wain Protection
Forest as an asset worth taking care of. Management and conservation efforts have been stepped up in
recent months as more people have come to appreciate the value of the forest and understand the threats
to its long-term viability. This has largely been in response to the worldwide clamor generated by the
devastating 1997/98 fires, but it is also a sign of the serious commitment in the region to doing a good job
of taking over responsibility for managing forests and other natural resources from central government
authorities. Six months after its inception, the River Wain Protection Forest Management Board 2 meets
regularly to discuss issues affecting the reserve and evaluate options for addressing those issues. It has
recently been in consultation with the Balikpapan Legislative Assembly (DPRD), the Environmental
Impact Control Agency (BAPEDALDA), the city's mayor, local security officials (police and military
intelligence) and representatives of the NGO community. Key items on the agenda have included
securing funds to pay for forest management activities, drafting local regulations to define roles and
responsibilities for the various stakeholder groups, looking for ways to support and step up environmental
education efforts, and defining procedures for establishing a more permanent security presence in the
2 Established by a mayoral decree issued on October 6th, 2001, the River Wain Management Board (Badan
Pengelola Hutan Lindung Sungai Wain), a multisectoral planning and management body, is the first local institution
established in Indonesia with a mandate to oversee management of a protected area. The board held its first meeting
on November 14th, 2001.
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