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.