U.S. organization takes human approach to conservation

U.S. organization takes human approach to conservation

By Yenni Kwok

JAKARTA (JP): Gone are the days when conserving nature meant
kicking out humans from protected areas. Today's buzzword for
nature conservation seems to be the coexistence of humans and
nature.

That is the belief of Nature Conservancy, a U.S.-based non-
profit organization. Its Indonesian Program has three projects in
Indonesia: coastal and marine conservation on Komodo Island, and
in Central Sulawesi's Lore Lindu National Park and Morowali
Nature Reserve.

"We realize that people are part of the ecosystem," said Wayne
Klockner, Nature Conservancy's senior advisor in Indonesia.

This new ecosystem concept has been applied in Lore Lindu
National Park.

Nature Conservancy has been working in Lore Lindu since 1992,
even before the area was declared a natural park. Lore Lindu,
which is a two-hour drive from Palu, became a natural park in
1993.

Klockner said that its status still does not live up to the
"full-blown" status of national parks in the U.S. as it is still
constrained by a lack of funding and manpower to manage it. The
park has suffered damages by residents living nearby, but remains
unique thanks to Sulawesi's wealth of flora and fauna.

Endemic

Klockner said that 60 percent of the 114 mammal species and 30
percent of the 263 bird species are endemic. By comparison, in
Java only 5 percent of the mammals and 6 percent of the birds are
endemic.

Many of the unique animals of Kalimantan are found in Lore
Lindu National Park, which is home to the mountain anoa, a type
of dwarf buffalo; babirusa or pig deer, a pig-like animal with
two pairs of tusks; tarsiers, the world's smallest primate with
big eyes; the marsupial Cuscus and the nocturnal Sulawesi Palm
Civet.

The red-knobbed hornbill, the heaviest and biggest bird in the
forest, is perhaps the animal most likely to be encountered. With
its one-meter wingspan and unique barking sound, it will fly from
tree to tree searching food. Another unique bird is the Maleo, a
megapode bird famous for burying its large eggs that are
incubated by underground hot springs.

The different altitudes of the park contribute to the diverse
range of vegetation, such as lowland rain forests in areas below
1,000 meters, and montane rain forests in areas above 1,000
meters. Montane rain forests, which are characterized by
epiphhytes and mosses, cover 90 percent of the park.

Megaliths

Besides animals and plants, Lore Lindu also has a wealth of
megaliths, found in the Napu, Besoa and Bada valleys. Megaliths
are ancient, massive but elegantly simple stone carvings. Their
origin is rather mysterious, and their estimated age is also
sketchy. They can date from as early as 3,000 BC or as recently
as 1,300 AD. Nevertheless, they are evidence that a human culture
was there a long time ago.

And there are still people living there now. Klockner said
there are seven closely related ethnic groups living in and
around the park. A century ago, they lived in small warring clans
and practiced shifting agriculture. Today they settle in a
village, farming rice in the valleys around the park, but they
still use forest products as a source of subsistence resources
and trade commodities.

Transmigrants, mainly from Java and Bali, have come, too.
Pololo Valley in the north and Napu Valley are two favorite
destinations. A total of 40,000 people live in the valleys
surrounding the area, and around 700 people live in the park
area.

Protecting the thick, green rain forests of Lore Lindu will
not be easy, even though Lore Lindu National Park has a boundary.
Its northern boundary is a road that was built during the
Japanese occupation in the early 1940s, but people still
trespass. And many of the traditional people living there cut
down trees illegally or grow coffee in the forest area.

Guarding the park is another option, but covering an area of
25,000 hectares is a challenge. Klockner admits that the Forest
Protection and Nature Conservancy (PHPA) lacks manpower.

Given this condition, and realizing that the presence of
humans can never be ignored, Nature Conservancy has set up
programs to educate people living nearby.

Butterflies

Sometimes a villager can earn extra money by selling beautiful
butterflies caught in the park. Nature Conservancy teaches
villagers to breed rare butterflies. A similar method is used to
stop illegal tree cutting as seen by the way Nature Conservancy
has introduced tree nurseries to villagers.

Nature Conservancy has worked with PHPA staff to teach
villagers about the park's endangered species in the hope that
villagers will pass on the knowledge to their children. The Lore
Lindu area is rich in nature resources and beauty, and most of
the villagers live a rather modest life.

The answer seems to be ecotourism.

Currently fewer than 200 people visit Lore Lindu every day
partly because it lacks accommodation and basic infrastructure.
Tourists should be sensitive to nature, Klockner said, but he
sees tourism as a potential source of revenue for the region and
money for the locals. The current obstacle is the lack of basic
tourist needs, such as decent meals, decent lodging and
bathrooms.

Of course, people can invest in the needed accommodation, but
it won't solve the problem. The dilemma is like trying to decide
whether it is the chicken or egg that comes first. On the one
hand, hardly anyone will come to a place with poor
accommodations. On the other hand, if the accommodations are
ready, there is no guarantee that people will come. In this case,
Klockner said, "We need a good marketing strategy."

Meanwhile, they have just started a preliminary research
project in Morowali Natural Reserve, east of Lore Lindu. It is
smaller than Lore Lindu, covering only 190,000 hectares. The
challenge is its remoteness, as a trip from Palu to Morowali
takes two days to complete.

But Klockner sees the remoteness as a benefit. The threat
posed by humans to the Morowali Natural Reserve is not as big as
that to Lore Lindu National Park, he said.