Biodiversity Conservation Network
9. Rafting, Honey, and Butterflies in the Rain Forest of Sulawesi
Location: Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia
Partners: The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
Lore Lindu National Park (PHPA)
CARE - Indonesia
University of GuelphProject Title: Wildlife and Nature-Based Tourism Enterprises in Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia BCN Funding: $584,892 Partner Contribution: $714,767
Grant Period: August 1, 1995 - July 31, 1998
Project Overview
Lore Lindu National Park (LLNP) in Central Sulawesi is a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve and was nominated as a World Heritage Site by the Government of Indonesia for its biological, cultural, and archaeological importance. The area contains some of the largest unbroken tracts of forest within Sulawesi and is home to 73 percent of the island's species of land birds as well as several endemic and endangered birds and mammals. In addition to its biodiversity value, the area provides natural resources to help meet the basic needs of people living in and around the park. The Parks' resources are threatened by encroachment, infrastructure development, and illegal harvesting of rattan and other forest resources.
To meet these threats, the project team will take the lessons learned during the planning phase and focus on four elements: 1) Developing rafting-tourism, butterfly ranching and farming, and honey production enterprises, 2) Drafting a 25-year resource management plan with the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHPA), 3) Developing, with CARE/Indonesia, a broader community development program, and 4) Ascertaining the impact of the above activities from social, biological, and economic perspectives. A critical component of TNC's monitoring program will be to assess the impact of the ongoing, widespread rattan collection in LLNP. In addition to developing ecologically sound enterprises and introducing conservation awareness programs, TNC also works with the Government of Indonesia on policy issues. The LLNP project in particular will allow TNC to work closely with PHPA on allowable access and use of protected areas.
1996 Accomplishments
In the Butterfly Enterprise take up of technology has been remarkably fast -- eleven farmers are now actively breeding four species of butterfly. Although initially interest is shown by male members of the family, it is often women who take over the main role in rearing larvae. Numbers are only limited by lack of a market -- due to difficulties in processing permits, only one export shipment has been made, and membership is being limited until this problem is resolved.
In contrast, the Honey Enterprise is attracting a lot of interest in villages, particularly in Kamarora and Rahmat where there is great interest in bee-keeping. There is good local demand for honey, especially if it is guaranteed pure and fresh. Initial approaches to honey-hunters in the Napu Valley have been moderately successful and will be built on in the near future. A socioeconomic and ecological survey has been carried out in the Park and four adjacent villages. One of the hive bees utilized has been recognized as a new species, Apis nigrocincta (Susilowati and Otis, in press).
Rafting Enterprise development continues with the training of two local guides in rafting, and in English language. A local company (PT Toranggo Buya Wisatirta) has been established to hold relevant provincial permits, which have been granted. Owing to logistical problems, there have been no rafting trips to date, but two are planned before the year's end.
Success Stories
One farmer has quickly become an expert butterfly farmer, partly due to competition with other villagers, and partly due to his own pleasure in the skills involved. Apart from the potential market of live pupae exports, Pak Putujiwa has also been selling dead specimens of Papiliobutterflies to a local dealer. He has used proceeds from both sales to buy a bicycle - in his words, this is a successful new enterprise and he wanted to buy something worthwhile people can see.
Beekeepers appear to be demonstrating their bravado in catching up new colonies of wild bees -- they do this bare-chested! Actually their reason is that the Apis cerana bee is quite docile, and will only sting badly if squeezed against their chests by clothes. Masks and gloves are now being distributed so that swollen hands and faces are a thing of the past. Returns to one Honey Hunter were doubled when project staff transported him and 100 liters of his product to Palu for sale -- it is hoped that Martinus will now act to seed formation of honey hunter co-operative groups in the Napu Valley.
Challenges
Butterfly Enterprise -- the major challenge is to overcome government resistance to export of live butterflies; this is being attempted through lobbying and workshops with PHPA staff who are concerned that export of live pupae will allow breeding stocks to be maintained outside Indonesia. Although there are worries over loss of markets, the main issue concerns loss of genetic material -- the issue of genetic property rights.
The main problem facing the Honey Enterprise reflects a breakdown in project management due to communication difficulties between the field and managers in the United States and Ujung Pandang and the major illness of one of the key local consultants. To overcome this, the project has been restructured to be managed through the TNC Palu Field Office, with consultants being retained to provide technical advice and inputs in technical aspects like honey quality control and ecological monitoring.
The main problem facing the Rafting Enterprise concerns the physical isolation of the Bada Valley -- a rafting trip involves a major, expensive, expedition from the current base in Rantepao, Toraja, which is not attractive to passing tourists. Specialist tour operators are being contacted and there are several bookings for 1997. Establishing a local base for operations has been further hampered by the bankruptcy of one of the local partner companies, which must be resolved.
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