Saving the "Space" for West Kalimantan's Remaining Life

At the age of 66 years, West Kalimantan faces severe challenges due to environmental degradation. In that situation, some residents have struggled to save the remaining "space" for life.

WAYAN UNTUK KOMPAS

Lines of vehicles on the flooded Trans Kalimantan route, to be precise at Balai Berkuak, the capital of Simpang Hulu District, Ketapang Regency, West Kalimantan, Monday (10/10/2022).

The severity of environmental degradation is illustrated by the massive natural disaster in West Kalimantan in October last year. Eight regencies in this province were hit by floods. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate.

Floods cut off the trans-Kalimantan route in Nanga Tayap District, Ketapang Regency, to Central Kalimantan. The road was flooded to a depth of about 1 meter last October. Dozens of trucks and public transportation vehicles were stuck for days because they could not pass, thereby increasing travel costs. The price of basic needs went up because logistics were hampered.

The West Kalimantan office of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has warned on several occasions that flooding is not only due to weather, but also due to environmental degradation, including the conversion of land use for extractive-based businesses.

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Executive director of the West Kalimantan branch office of Walhi Nikodemus Ale said that environmental degradation had taken place for a long time. When viewed on paper, from an administrative area of around 14 million hectares, around 8 million ha are non-production areas and around 6 million ha are production areas, namely plantation concessions, mining, timber estates, and so forth.

In reality, at least in 2018-2019, the area used as plantations amounted to 5 million ha, timber estates more than 2 million ha, and mining around 3 million ha. That means that non-production land is being used for production.

In the midst of environmental degradation, there are people who continue to struggle to save the "space" for life. They are trying to save the remaining space.

In the midst of environmental degradation, there are people who continue to struggle to save the "space" for life.

This struggle, for example, has been waged by the Jalai Sekayuq-Kendawangan Siakaran Indigenous Peoples Alliance (AMA-JK).

The AMA-JK is an organization of indigenous community movements that advocates for indigenous peoples and the environment in the Jalai-Kendawangan area, Ketapang Regency.

They struggle to save the community-management areas that they call dahas. Inside dahas, there are forest resources, including rubber, medicines, vegetables, hunting places, farming locations, water resources, local fruits and livestock. Dahas, which are usually owned by one extended family, can also be owned personally.

Space for life

Darmono, secretary-general of the AMA-JK, when met on Thursday (12/1), said that its struggle to save dahas started in the 1980s. They were worried about the development of large-scale investment, which threatened community-management areas.

Initially they advocated on behalf of 163 communities to make residents aware that the threat to dahas would continue if extractive investment continued unabated. "We held meetings from village to village four or five times a month," he said.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

Forest in Loncek village, Teluk Bakung Village, Sungai Ambawang District, Sunday (22/1/2023).

In 2012, the number of villages involved was reduced, from 163 to 60. In 2015, there were only 30 villages as a result of unrelenting investment.

Now there are only 10 villages involved in the effort to prevent the remaining dahas from being converted. To save these, the AMA-JK urges the recognition indigenous communities and that customary law be protected from the regency level to the central government. In 2020, they received a decree (SK) of customary law communities. Now they are struggling to get a decree on 2,500 ha of customary forest. So far, they have reached the stage of requesting regional government recommendations, starting from villages, districts and regencies.

In other areas, specifically in Gunung Loncek hamlet, Teluk Bakung village, Sungai Ambawang District, Kubu Raya Regency, the spirit of protecting the forest is carried out by farmer groups.

Laurensius Edi, secretary of the Loncek Raya Forest Farmers Group, said that one of his efforts was through traditional ways. They open the fields with rituals to maintain harmony with nature. After the fields are harvested, the area that was originally used as a field will be reforested with various plants.

There are also forest farmer groups that plant on the vacant land. Various plants are developed, from jengkol (dog fruit) to petai (odorous beans). They receive seed assistance from relevant agencies. "There were around 10,000 plant seedlings," he said.

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Previously, in 2011, Kampung Loncek collaborated with an institution in the national community empowerment program in the form of planting 5,000 rubber tree seedlings.

Some residents have also written the story of their village in a book. The residents wrote the history of the village, mapped the sacred places, and the culture of the lecek mask and the Loncek Young Farmers Movement. "We also want to propose that our territory become a customary forest," said Edi.

Regarding the various struggles of the community, West Kalimantan Governor Sutarmidji supported the community in proposing their territory as part of a customary forest or village forest. "Do not leave a community, which has been living from generation to generation in some place, without the right to their land," he said.

Do not leave a community, which has been living from generation to generation in some place, without the right to their land.

West Kalimantan has an independent village program that focuses on village economic resilience, social and cultural resilience, and environmental resilience.

In environmental resilience, one of the steps is reforestation. The community, for example, can come to the coast of Kupah River to plant mangroves. The development of the plants can be monitored through the application of Sipohon. Officials regularly update data and the development of mangrove plants.

West Kalimantan's challenge is not easy. With joint work and concrete steps, residents hope that their environment will be saved.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.