Creating Malinau As a Conservation District” Malinau Regency Head Received Kalpataru 2007 Award As Environmental Campaign Pioneer

Press Release

“Creating Malinau as a Conservation District” Malinau Regency Head Received Kalpataru 2007 Award as Environmental Campaign Pioneer

At a time when global warming and climate changes issues abound, Indonesia is accused as third largest carbon emission in the world, and noted by Guinness Book of Record as the fastest deforestation, there are still good news of Malinau Regency who proclaimed themselves as a conservation regency resulting in Kalpataru Award.

In conjunction with World Environment Days, on June 6th 2007, President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, awarded Kalpataru for Malinau regent, Dr, Martin Bila, as environment campaign pioneer. The award is handed annually to communities as well as individuals who had shown leadership in protecting and preserving the environment.

Martin Bila and his regency commitment to protecting and preserving the environment was not in vain. After receiving the autonomy award and the Kehati award for 2006 in the category for biodiversity conservation initiator, the Kalpataru is a culmination of what Martin Bila had achieved. It also shows his determination to make Malinau a true conservation district.

The initiative to realize Malinau Regency as conservation regency are prompted by the realization that Malinau does not have advantages and capabilities in the economic as well as trading sector compared to other district. The advantage of Malinau is in its forest potentials, added by the presence of Kayan Mentarang National Park in the heart of Borneo. This convinced Malinau to safeguard their comparative advantage through preserving the environment and forest as the right choice.

Martin Bila, stated, “We have to be convinced that Malinau as a conservation regency will benefit greatly for the citizens, even if we do not experience ourselves these benefits, we must be assured that our next generations will benefit.” This conviction resulted in the declaration of Malinau as conservation regency in July 5, 2005. With the declaration, all of Malinau is under one development management policy to implement conservation principles based on:

1) Geomorphology characteristic of highland as the source of most East Kalimantan major rivers, 2) Malinau dominated by primary forest of all strata and types, 3) The forest in Malinau is the remaining prime forest of Borneo,

1 4) The high dependence of the citizens to its forest, 5) The unique culture originating from the relationship with forest.

Malinau regency government understands that to realize their goals, creating a true conservation district, is not possible without the partnership with other stakeholders. This is why the regency government has opened partnership among other with CIFOR (Center for International Forestry Research) whom had actively promoted the process of conservation regency and also held various researchs in Malinau district. Likewise, Malinau established working relationship in the Forest Partnership program with CIFOR, WWF, and Tropenbos Indonesia Program, and many other to reach its conservation distrct goals.

This achievement is due to CIFOR active part in providing data and information to the Environmental Ministry, and nominating Malinau Regency for Kalpataru. Similar to when CIFOR nominated Setulang village for Kalpataru in 2003, one of the villages in Malinau, who had received the award for environmental protector category.

In Malinau becoming conservation regency, it is expected that the welfare of the citizens will be better through non timber forest product whose potential is immense, and innovations in benefiting from payment of environmental services can be attained. These choices will affect the development model in Malinau where the conservation aspect will be the foundation of each development plan.

Martin Bila stated that with the attainment of Kalpataru does not mean that they should be proud and even be beside themselves. This award should be seen as a trial to the advancement of Malinau in social welfare. The award would mean nothing if the environmental devastation that is happening elsewhere in Indonesia in the end affect Malinau District.

This trial is not only on the regency government, but the provincial and central government as well. If Malinau is expected to succeed as conservation regency, this endeavor should be comprehended by the provincial and central goverment as an effort to achieve sustainable development. The support of all is expected.