Newswise — Oslo (9 January, 2015)—GreenIndonesia and six partner Indigenous communities will headline Reiselivsmessen Oslo, the largest Scandinavian tourism event. Together they show that resilient and green economic development is possible when local community land rights and the integrity of natural ecosystems are equally protected.
Indonesia has the third largest tracts of rainforests in the world, and the Indigenous Peoples and local communities who live in and depend on these forests can play an important role in conserving them. With global climate change challenges looming—deforestation is the leading source of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions—the fourth most populous country in the world is searching for a green economic pathway to lift people out of poverty. According to the World Bank, out of a population of 237 million, more than 28 million people live below the poverty line in Indonesia.
GreenIndonesia’s participation in the Reiselvsmessen is sponsored by the Indonesian Government Embassy in Oslo, and endorsed by the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Ministry. This support reflects the government’s focus on addressing climate change and Indigenous community rights in an effective and fair way.
“The Indonesian government welcomes efforts to improve the lives of forest-dependent people by strengthening their capacity to pursue sustainable economic development on their land. Furthermore, we recognize there is a serious land conflict issue facing them,” said Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment and Forestry. “We are creating a Presidential Decree to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples and to address the conflicts that beset their lands.” The minister also pointed out the important role played by forest dependent communities in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia. “We can’t move forward as a country without them.”
GreenIndonesia sees significant potential in community based eco-culture tourism—one recent study found that for 26 percent of the travelling population, sustainability and responsibility play a big part in their decision making. “There is a sizable market for adventure travelers,” said Chandra Kirana, who leads the GreenIndonesia Initiative. “These travelers want to explore new places and different cultures while making a positive difference for the places they visit. Indonesia is endowed with amazing unexplored places, and an extremely rich and diverse culture.”
The Indonesian Alliance of Indigenous Peoples (AMAN) recently submitted the maps of 517 ancestral community lands from all over Indonesia to the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the government’s REDD+ Agency, which coordinates the country’s participation in the multilateral Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative. Combined, these lands constitute a mostly forested area of 4.822 million hectares to be integrated into the country’s formal maps for legal recognition. “Besides recognizing community rights to land, it is important to build possibilities for resilient and sustainable economies for them. Eco-culture tourism is a viable option,” said Kirana.
A vast cultural wealth for tourists to enjoy
Indonesia is blessed with a more than 400 ethnic groups who inhabit the largest archipelago in the world. The country has over 14,000 islands big and small and a rich diversity of beautiful and unique landscapes. GreenIndonesia and its partner communities are capitalizing on this wealth to grow local economies with dignity, and in the process develop models for other Indigenous communities to adapt. These communities are:• The Sui Utik Indigenous Forest in West Kalimantan; • The Mollo Sacred Lands in Nausus, Timor Tengah Selatan; • The Paluanda Lama Hamu cloth weavers, in East Sumba; • The Guguk Indigenous Forest in Jambi, Sumatra; • The Sawai community in Seram Island, Maluku; and • The Jatiluwih community in Tabanan, Bali.
All have inspiring stories to share. The Sui Utik community, represented by their Head Mr. Raymundus Remang, for example, has kept more than 9,000 hectares of Ancestral forests intact despite rampant illegal logging and the strong pressure of palm oil plantation expansion in their district. As a result, their traditional longhouse still stands amidst beautiful tropical rainforests that protect biodiversity and the headwaters of the longest river in Kalimantan, the Kapuas.
“This was possible because of our strong culture and deep ties with nature. Now we remain blessed with our wealth of natural beauty and our rich culture is thriving,” said Remang. “We would like to share the beauty we live in, and share our values and way of life with visitors to our land. We also want our children to engage the world and be able to play positive roles as dignified global citizens while keeping their role as guardians of these forests. Through green economic efforts we believe this will be possible.”
The Sui Utik people are a Dayak Iban community. They follow a traditional forest management regime known as Tembawang, where small parcels of forest are opened for rice planting. After five years, these parcels are allowed to recover and reforest into a diverse mix of timber, fruit trees and many other important non timber product species such as rattan and rubber trees.
The longhouse of the Sui Utik, their Rumah Betang, houses four generations, almost 250 people in all. The longhouse is where tourists would stay, and is a living showcase of how the community lives and uses the forest and all its products—from carved wooden kitchen utensils to woven baskets and mats to beautiful cloths.
Protecting rich landscapes to keep weaving traditions alive
Another community representative at the Reiselivsmesen is Ms. Petronela Pihu, marketing manager of the Paluanda Lama Hamu traditional weaving group from the island of East Sumba. She comes from a clan of weavers who work with many local plants to create unique colors and pay close attention to maintaining the environment where the vegetation grows.
The cultivation of natural dyes and their use in textiles is fading in Indonesia, and with it the competitive economic power of women weavers is weakened and culturally significant plant biodiversity is threatened. Through GreenIndonesia, women weavers from all over Indonesia, such as the women weavers of Mollo, on the western part of Timor Island, connect, share knowledge, and keep their traditions alive.
In Mollo, “Mama Aleta” Baun, as she is affectionately called by her people, led a group of 150 weavers—all women—who protested at a marble mine for more than year. The mine’s operations ruined the Mollo forests and threatened the water quality flowing out of the immediate region. In a reversal, the men of the community supported the protest by doing all of the chores that the women traditionally did.
The success of the protest—all four mining operations in Mollo territory have shuddered their operations—and the subsequent fame that came with the Goldman prize awarded to Mama Aleta, left her and other community leaders determined to keep their land and their traditions.
The most prominent of the abandoned mine sites is now the location of the Mollo’s community center and guest houses, where tourists can stay and enjoy weaving demonstrations and cultural festivals. The Mutis mountains, where this rustic resort is located, provides rolling vistas of the green forests that provide the fresh water on which much of Timor depends.
Protecting the environment and its endangered biodiversity and natural resources
GreenIndonesia’s three other partners also have inspiring successes. The Guguk Ancestral Forest community in Jambi Province of Sumatra, for example, have kept logging and palm oil expansion in their territory at bay. Their forests provide a sanctuary for the critically endangered Sumatran tiger, whose population has dwindled to approximately 250. The Sawai community, on the island of Seram, Maluku, have transformed themselves over the last decade from poaching endangered birds for illegal wild-life traders to sustainable forest managers of one of the best birdwatching havens in Eastern Indonesia.
The Jatiluwih community in Bali, Indonesia’s largest tourist destination, is safeguarding pure water resources through the Subak, an ancient water management system that is guided by the living philosophy Tri Hita Karana. This philosophy emphasizes three sources of goodness that guide harmonious human relations with the gods, within society and with nature.
Tourism in Bali, which received more than three million foreign tourists in 2013, has placed a strain on the island’s water resources, consuming more than 65 percent of the island’s water. With Tri Hita Karana, the Jatiluwih Subak hopes to stem this drain on the island’s natural resources.
The Jatiluwih and Sawai communities—who, along with the Guguk will not be represented at the Reiselivsmessen—have long established themselves in community based eco-culture tourism. Within the GreenIndonesia network they provide inspiration and experience for the other communities. GreenIndonesia focuses on building the skills and knowledge within communities to deliver comfortable and authentic cultural experiences, combined with access to exquisitely stunning scenery and nature adventures to travelers.
“Indonesia's participation in the Reiselivsmessen 2015 is a manifestation of ongoing efforts to promote Indonesia as a tourist destination country not only for Norway but also Scandinavia,” said Yuwono A. Putranto, Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway. “And this is also an innovative approach to strengthen public awareness of Indonesia's efforts in preserving the environment and at the same promoting the welfare of indigenous peoples.”
“This is diplomacy for the people, an approach introduced under President Joko Widodo, in which the Indonesian Embassy invited the participation of civil societies and representatives of indigenous people engaged in the field of environmental protection and people's welfare,” concluded Ambassador Putranto. “Indonesia's participation in the Reiselivsmessen cannot be seen as a stand-alone event. It must be followed up through creative measures and support of all parties in Indonesia. The embassy in Oslo will always be at the front in follow-up activities.”
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