NTFPs in the Rain Forest of West Kalimantan, Indonesia

by Yayasan Dian Tama

Project Overview

The forests of Kalimantan support enormous biological diversity and numerous rare or endemic species, including orangutans, flying lemurs, tarsiers, and hornbills. The Participatory Forest Management Area (PFMA) where YDT is working covers a broad range of natural and human habitats. Unsustainable hunting of endangered species and use of forest resources, however, represent significant threats to the region's biological diversity.

YDT and its collaborators intend to work within the framework of the Social Forestry Development Project (SFDP), a unique community-based forest concession begun in West Kalimantan in 1990 and supported by GTZ. In collaboration with the Indonesia Department of Forestry, the ten-year Social Forestry Project seeks to further develop national and local policies to support the sustainable extraction, utilization and commercialization of non-timber forest products. One of the ultimate goals of the Social Forestry Project is to address the primary threats to the region by establishing more clearly defined resource rights and identifying alternative income sources. The BCN-funded enterprises, which are part of this larger strategy, will be based upon the harvest, processing, and sale of several NTFPs. YDT and its partners plan to build upon their past experience and established market linkages to process damar, a resin used in paints and other industrial products, and to sell semi-processed rattan and bamboo to a manufacturer and marketer of handbags.

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