Rafting, Honey, and Butterflies in the Rain Forest of Sulawesi, Indonesia

by The Nature Conservancy

Project Overview

Lore Lindu National Park 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 Lore Lindu. In addition to developing ecologically sound enterprises and introducing conservation awareness programs, TNC also works with the Government of Indonesia on policy issues. The Lore Lindu project in particular will allow TNC to work closely with PHPA on allowable access and use of protected areas.

	Current Accomplishments
Successes and Challenges
"OK...So What?"

WHY BIODIVERSITY   FIELD STORIES   PARTICIPATE   RESULTS   MARKETSPACE ABOUT THE NETWORK   WHAT'S NEW   LEARNING MATERIALS   SEARCH   LINKS   SITE MAP   HOME