Protecting the Forest Forever

KOMPAS/ICHWAN SUSANTO

The Sira Forest in South Sorong Residents of Sira Village in Saifi District, South Sorong Regency, West Papua, Friday (10/3/2021).

The Knasaimos traditional community was relieved when the government decided in 2014 to declare Manggroholo-Sira Forest as a village forest. As the community has authority over its forest, it can ensure that the forest is protected for all time.

Three youths walked quickly through the forest of Manggroholo-Sira village in South Sorong, West Papua, on Wednesday morning (9/6/2021). Dim sunlight penetrated the open spaces amid the dense vegetation they passed through. The chirps of birds accompanied their steps.

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Not far from the entrance to the forest, white and red damar trees lined the footpath. The trunks of the trees seeped with resin. “We let the damar keep growing. God has arranged damar to grow in this forest,” said Vinsen Sermere, 24, one of the three youths.

Farther into the center of the forest, several logs of merbau or ironwood lay on the ground. The wood was then cut into planks and blocks.

“This is not [illegal] logging. Residents have cut them to build houses. The rule allows cutting down trees to build houses, but it is banned for sale,” explained Nikson Kladit, 20, another youth.

The area was filled with towering merbau trees. Four members of the Kompas team estimated the diameter of one tree by circling the tree with outstretched arms. “In the middle of the forest there is a tree as big as eight people encircling it,” said Nikson.

The three youths are residents of Sira village, which holds the communal right to the forest. The residents of Manggroholo village also hold the right to the same forest. The residents have therefore named the forest Manggroholo-Sira.

Meeting daily needs

On the other side of the forest, Costa Kladit, 59, a resident of Manggroholo village, sat in the shade of a sago palm while he tapped its 3-meter trunk. In his hands was nani, a device for tapping sago palms, which he used to tap the trunk repeatedly to turn it into powder.

Part of the harvested sago is made into porridge for daily consumption, while another part is used to make cakes or noodles

The local residents, like Costa, harvest sago to meet their daily needs. Part of the harvested sago is made into porridge for daily consumption, while another part is used to make cakes or noodles. Any remaining sago is sold to cities.

Every day, Costa harvests two bags of powdered sago that weigh 15 kilograms. After the powder is processed further, each bag produces around 2 kilograms of sago, which sell for between Rp 150,000 and Rp 200.000 per kilogram.

“[Our] daily needs have been fulfilled by sago so far. Every day, we eat porridge. If we need money, we can sell sago at the market,” he said.

KOMPAS/ICHWAN SUSANTO

The Tanah Papua Expeditionary Team, interacting with children in Sira Village, West Papua, on June 9, 2021.

With the income he makes from selling sago, Costa can pay for his children’s education. His first child, Irianto Yohanes, 20, is at university in the city of Sorong. His second and third children have graduated senior high school.

The communal forest has been planted with not only sago, but also a variety of fruit trees like durian, pineapple and duku (lanzones). Each harvest season, the residents harvest the fruits and sell them at the market to increase their income.

Traditional communities in Papua liken the forest to a mother. “I am not a rich man, but so far, forest products have adequately supported our family,” said Costa.

Manggroholo-Sira forest, which remains untouched, was once eyed with interest by investors. Had the forest been turned into a concession area, it would have been cut down and replanted with oil palms. Investors have been targeting the forest areas in South Sorong since the early 2000s.

Costa said his and several other clans had once received an offer from representatives of a company to sell the forest. But they rejected the offer, prioritizing the future continuity of life.

“If we sell it, we will get a lot of money. But how long will [that money] last? Afterwards, we will have no jobs and incomes. How will our [descendants] live?” he remarked.

But after their plan to invest in oil palm became known, the customary leaders turned them away.

Arkilaus Kladit, the coordinator of the Manggroholo-Sira village forest, said investors had come twice, in 2006 and 2011. The investors approached the regional administration and then met with the customary village leaders. But after their plan to invest in oil palm became known, the customary leaders turned them away.

“It is known that oil palm investment [projects] in several parts of Papua have destroyed the environment there. The water dried up, the sago plants were all destroyed,” said Arkilaus.

First village forest

In order to ensure that their forest remained protected, Arkilaus and several nongovernmental organizations proposed to the central government that Manggroholo-Sira forest be established as a village forest. In 2014, eight years after they submitted the proposal in 2006, the Environment and Forestry Ministry declared Manggraholo-Sira forest as a village forest that spanned 3,545 hectares.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

The beautiful forest surrounds a residential area in Sira Village, South Sorong, West Papua, Wednesday (9/6/2021).

Reynold Kesaulija, who heads the South Sorong Forest Production Management Unit, said Manggroholo-Sira forest was the first village forest in Papua.

“Community ownership in forest management has been the least known so far. In declaring [Manggroholo-Sira] as a village forest, the residents have legal certainty for managing the forest, and this is recognized by the state,” said Reynold.

Charles Tawaru, the South Sorong coordinator at Conservation International Indonesia, said traditional communities would be threatened with absolute poverty if the forests they relied on for their daily needs were converted into an oil palm estate or other extractive business. The communities would only receive compensation for the forest and lose their source of livelihood.

With the declaration of Manggroholo-Sira forest as a village forest, the local community has at least ensured that their “mother” would be protected forever.

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira)