Kayan Mentarang National Park 3 20 Different Perspectives and Lessons Learned
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KAYAN MENTARANG NATIONAL PARK IN THE HEART OF BORNEO MAIN CONTRIBUTORS I G N N S UTEDJA C RISTINA E GHENTER S TEPHAN W ULFFRAAT D OLVINA D AMUS L ENE T OPP J AYL L ANGUB P ATRICE L EVANG E DMOND D OUNIAS EDITORS L ENE T OPP C RISTINA E GHENTER KAYAN MENTARANG NATIONAL PARK 3 20 DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND LESSONS LEARNED COLLABORATIVE concerning Forestry, and Act No. 5, 1990, concerning MANAGEMENT the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and its Ecosystem. In reality, on the ground, the Ministry of Forestry has never had any staff assigned to KMNP Working in times of transition during the period since the area was designated as Indonesia is in a transition period. The country a Strict Nature Reserve until the status was changed has been through a long-term economic crisis. In to National Park. addition, some major political and administrative At the same time, the local governments argue changes have taken place, including decentralization that park management is part of their responsibility, and regional autonomy. although this is doubtful based on present The project has experienced how commitment regulations. Local people who are indigenous and to conservation and the KMNP can shift very have been living inside and around the park for quickly in such a situation - following also the centuries claim that the park is an integral part political development in the country. Generally, of their customary territory. They claim that they every newcomer in the political arena, from district are the ones who have managed and preserved to national level, tends to create new policies and the forest for generations, and therefore should new commitments. Consequently, the project has continue to maintain management authority over been forced to constantly re-negotiate stakeholder the resources. commitment as these were changing or shifting Confusion on responsibilities and potential conflict fast. between different interests and views may be This was important and necessary work, but reduced by adopting a model of collaborative consumed a lot of energy and time, which could management. This is the model chosen for the Kayan have been used more effectively to move things Mentarang National Park where three parties (central forward. The reality faced by the project often government, local government and the communities prevented or delayed the achievement of the represented by FoMMA) will work together and objectives as agreed in the workplan. Activities often share responsibilities in the management of the took longer than first expected. national park. This solution would work to avoid The radical change in the government system conflict. in Indonesia had an impact on the authority and In addition to the three main stakeholders, there responsibility in the management of national parks are however other parties that might have specific in Indonesia. In several cases, it created differences interests regarding the exploitation of natural in perception and confusion between central and resources in the area, especially investors. Suspicion local governments on who is responsible for the and hostility towards the park can easily arise if management of natural resources. The situation the pursuit of somebody’s interests is hindered was especially sensitive in a project like Kayan or delayed, and individual wishes are denied. As Mentarang National Park where a new, collaborative a result, WWF as a facilitator for both sustainable management model was being implemented. development and conservation has at times become The Ministry of Forestry claims that the authority of a ‘shooting target’ and, in extreme cases, the Previous page: A woman park management is the responsibility of the central ‘public enemy’. The situation has proven to be a big relaxing in the middle government, and as such is regulated by basic law challenge for the Kayan Mentarang project. (See of the day in Long Padi, on protection of natural resources, Act No 41, 1999, also under ‘Threats towards the park’). Krayan Tengah KAYAN MENTARANG NATIONAL PARK 21 F O M M A - organize to advocate their rights with regard to THE ALLIANCE OF THE the conservation area. At the same time, this is also a potential weakness. The organization needs INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF to consolidate and secure its internal unity and THE KAYAN MENTARANG common vision. NATIONAL PARK Over the period of the project, acitivities focused on capacity building of FoMMA members. The FoMMA was established in October 2000 and has project organized training in conflict resolution, legal today around 50 members. Over the years, it has drafting, management, and facilitated several study become internationally recognized as an important trips and visits to relevant sites, including across the institution representing indigenous people’s rights in border to Sabah. This proved to be very important in KMNP. Evidence for this is that the Head of FoMMA order to encourage relations with other indigenous was invited to give a talk at the World Park Congress peoples across the border, who share many of the in Durban, and that the Indigenous Peoples Network same cultural traits and face common challenges. in SEAsia identified FoMMA as a possible leading At national level, FoMMA is recognized through organisation for the network in the future. the three ministerial decrees related to the FoMMA is an organisation comprising a number collaborative management of KMNP. FoMMA is an of sub-ethnic groups, which have one interest in independent organisation representing the interests common, namely creating a stronger voice for of the communities of the park and, as such, is communities in the management of the national part of the collaborative management. However, it park and for the respect of communities’ rights. remains to be seen whether FoMMA will be able FoMMA represents a rare example of how indigenous to enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as the people and communities could come together and other stakeholders in the management body. Field post and office of FOMMA in Data Dian decorated with traditional Dayak motifs KAYAN MENTARANG NATIONAL PARK 22 Women from Pa’Upan, Krayan Highlands, returning home from their gardens At district level, the legacy of adat and role of CO M M U N I T Y customary chiefs are recognized and respected. EMPOWERMENT Kepala Adat receives a small salary from the government. Kepala Adats are automatically members of FoMMA and tradition keepers within The legacy of the Culture & Conservation the organization. research program Many members of the district government have The Danida-funded project started in December come to recognize the value of FoMMA and are very 1996. Seven months later, the third and final phase supportive of the organization. of the Culture and Conservation project aimed FoMMA’s main task now and in the future is to at: ’documenting and supporting traditional rights represent the local communties interests on the of tenure and local resource management and Policy Board and in the collaborative management contributing to the cultural history and the forest of the park. In this respect, more capacity building ecology of the region’ ended. The short overlap was and organizational development will be needed something more than a coincidence. In many ways, to enable FoMMA to face future management and the output of the Culture and Conservation program policy challenges. provided the main justification for the Danida project to assist the establishment of a community-based KAYAN MENTARANG NATIONAL PARK 23 Local people living in and around the Kayan Mentarang National Park have managed these forests for generations management in the Kayan Mentarang National Park. of local people should consider both dimensions, It also positively affected the kind of relationship the social dimension (rights, duties, privileges, that bound together local communities, local regulations about the sustainable management government, and WWF especially in the first phase of natural resources) and economic dimension of Danida (1996-2000). It offered that legacy of trust (small business, profit, rewards from the sustainable that was built in many years of working together management of natural resources), and integrate with local communities to preserve indigenous them. knowledge and recognize local management and During the first phase, attention was devoted land tenure practices. to making sure that the rights and claims of local This legacy of trust was not always managed wisely people be recognized in the management of the by the project and sometimes squandered by empty conservation area. The customary leaders were promises, long bureaucratic processes, uncertainty, engaged first hand in collecting data and evidence and a long wait for signs of implementation of the of adat management (community mapping), collaborative park management. If nothing else, it presentating the results to government officials, and made us all very aware that any activity, any project advocating the rights of local communities to be implementation does depend on trust and support managers of the NP. by local people as much as it depends on the skills Community mapping, and the close collaboration and expertise of the staff working on the project. between WWF and local customary councils, raised the social and political profile of the councils and Local managers of the forest increased the visibility of some of their most active The history of the project shows a first phase more leaders. This brought about a renewed