Malinau District

Project background

Long Berini, Long Kemuat and Setulang Villages are part of a landscape that is connected to the Kayan Mentarang National Park, home to rich forest and biodiversity. However, as the population and demands for commercial agriculture continue to grow, the village forests in these villages are facing ever greater deforestation and degradation threats that could potentially lead to loss of habitat.

To prevent these things from happening, the Rimba Collective is working with the Institute for Promoting Sustainable Livelihood Approach (InProSuLa) – a non-governmental organisation that promotes sustainable livelihoods for communities.

Location & total area

Long Berini, Long Kemuat and Setulang Villages are located in Malinau District, North Kalimantan Province, with a total area of 13,819 hectares combined. While Setulang Village is accessible through a one-hour drive by car from the nearest city of Malinau, Long Berini and Long Kemuat Villages are more remotely located. A trip to the two villages may take around three days from Malinau and would include a six-hour drive by car from Malinau to Tanjung Selor, a two-day boat ride from Tanjung Selor to Pujungan, a one-day boat ride from Pujungan to Long Alango, and a one-hour boat ride from Long Alango to Long Kemuat. Long Berini Village can be accessed from Long Kemuat Village through a two-hour ride using ketinting.

What is special about this project

The three villages are part of a landscape that is connected to the Kayan Mentarang National Park, which has high biodiversity (flora and fauna). Located in the buffer zone of the national park, the three village forests could become a corridor for wildlife, including the Bornean orangutan and Presbytis hosei, which are endemic animals of North Kalimantan. Other animals, such as hedgehogs, gibbons, turtles, fish, bison, proboscis monkeys and hornbills, can also be found in these forests.

However, these forests are facing threats from deforestation and forest degradation, mainly through forest fires, shifting cultivation and expansion of commercial plantation areas, posing a risk to the habitat of these critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species. Data shows that the east area bordering the national park experienced massive deforestation between 2001 and 2021. Effective forest management, biodiversity monitoring and support for sustainable livelihoods are needed to ensure that these village forests and the biodiversity within them are protected, while also increasing the well-being of local communities through access to forest-friendly livelihoods.

How we add value to this project

The Rimba Collective, with its long-term funding and performance-based payments, aims to prevent the area's loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and forest degradation. Together with InProSuLa, we will help the communities living within and surrounding the three village forests to:

• Increase the capacity of the LPHDs (Village Forest Management Institutions) to conduct good forest management practices
• Protect and monitor forests, including forest and land fires
• Restore deforested and degraded areas
• Protect and monitor biodiversity
• Support sustainable community livelihoods
• Raise community awareness of forest conservation and protection

Activities

There are a few main activities designed for the three village forests to address the specific threats of deforestation and forest degradation while also supporting community livelihoods and advanced forest governance and its management:

• Strengthening of the LPHDs through capacity building and the operational support needed to effectively manage village forests
• Development of village regulations and legal recognition for RKT (annual work plan), RPHD (village forest management plan), and village forest boundaries
• Establishment of forest and fire patrol teams and provision of operational support
• Forest restoration using tree planting, Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and agroforestry approaches
• Biodiversity survey and data management
• Strengthening of KUPS (Community Forestry Business Groups) and support for developing forest-friendly businesses
• Campaigns and awareness-raising activities targeting local communities, including students