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

by The Nature Conservancy

Partners:

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) CARE - Indonesia University of Guelph

1997 Update

Fourteen farmers from the Kamarora area have been participating in the Butterfly Enterprise, and pupae have been exported to the UK since March. A valuable connection has catalyzed the sales. Export has been under the auspices of an agreement with PT Ikas, an existing deadstock trading company whose director has very close ties with Indonesia's first live butterfly exhibit at Tabunan in Bali. This relationship has been fruitful in two ways: firstly, export permits have been issued in PT Ikas' name for pupae produced from Kamarora, and secondly, the Bali Butterfly Park has been purchasing butterflies directly themselves. We hope to build on this relationship in the coming year so that PT Ikas themselves export pupae, and purchase a portion of their domestic and export requirements from Kamarora. The farming group has been issued a trading permit (SIUP) in the name of Kelompok Penangkar Sinar Kupu-kupu(Gleaming Butterflies Farming Group), and a full farming permit has been requested from PHPA.

Already the project has impacted national policy. On 8 October 1996, PHPA formally decided to allow the export of live pupae from Indonesia (under the understanding that these would not be re-exported to countries with the potential for maintaining breeding populations). This allows the growth of a new cottage industry in Indonesia, with potential for increasing income at the rural level and increasing conservation awareness at many levels of the population.

Four species have been reared for export. Difficulties in breeding and maintaining breeding stock, have been partly due to bad weather conditions -- Sulawesi is experiencing a severe drought which has affected both butterfly numbers and availability of the their foodplants.

The average value of shipments was Rp 218,000 (around US$78) with 20 shipments made over the season. Average income per farmer was Rp 16,000 per shipment [in comparison, the wage for a field laborer is Rp 4,000 per day]. Several farmers have applied to be new members, and one farmer has started breeding in Pertigaan Lindu with promising results. With development of the Bali market, additional species are being reared.

One major problem which detracted from this success, was poor butterfly emergence once they arrived in England. We traced the problem to the packaging: we had been using a Tupperware type box to send the pupae -- it was light, strong, comfortably held 300 pupae, and seemed ideal for the purpose. Unfortunately, we discovered that after four days in such a box, pupae mortality was around 50%, so shipments were made in cardboard boxes with far better results.

From May to July, a series of training meetings were held by staff of the Honey Enterprise for bee-keepers, and potential bee-keepers, in Rahmat, Kamarora, and Tongoa. But even though there has been some production of honey, it has been difficult to find enough in marketable quantity - most honey either being eaten on the spot or sold within the village. To assist with this, harvesting of comb honey has been promoted, and the Rahmat group have started collecting and boxing comb honey. More promising perhaps is pollen: project staff have designed and distributed pollen traps, and worked with a local honey trader to market honey-pollen as a nutrition supplement to promote ėvitality'. Demand is so far exceeding supply.

In the Napu Valley, the honey hunting seasons have not been very productive, perhaps because of unusual climatic conditions. Following meetings with the honey hunters' group at Watutau (30 members) in January, the major problem to developing a village enterprise was identified as being the need to immediately exchange honey for cash -- this meant that honey hunters couldn't collect honey and wait for better prices. To overcome this, an agreement was signed between TNC and the honey hunters whereby TNC provided capital funds to buy honey in the village, with the aim of reselling it in Palu at better prices. Through this simple but effective action, the value of honey to the hunters has risen from Rp 2,000 per bottle to Rp 3,750. So far 180 bottles have been bought and resold at Rp 5,000 per bottle, the profit accruing to the agency to repay the loan.

It is planned to build on this success by operating a similar fund with the Winowanga hunters' group, and to negotiate an agreement between the villagers and the National Park Authority (KSDA) regulating the honey harvest.

Rafting Enterprise development continues slowly. Unfortunately the main local partner in PT Lariang Lindu Wisitatirta, who holds operating licenses from the provincial government, went bankrupt so we are seeking another partner. Because of these problems, the rafting operation is still being run as an expedition from Tana Toraja by PT Toranggo Buya. The first training trip was held between 20-25 May 1997, and was very successful. Four rafting trainees from Bada participated, together with experienced trip leaders and guides from Toranggo Buya, two staff from TNC, one member of Sub Balai KSDA, and a camera team from Bali, almost filling the two rafts required for the trip. Any remaining room was taken up by four tourists who joined the trip by chance in the Bada Valley.

The arrival of two boats full of hungry rafters -- 14 souls -- caused a minor shortage of chickens in the village of Au. Not that the villagers complained, at 25% above market prices they were more than happy to see the visitors eat their way through 6 chickens and mounds of vegetables. The trip itself was an exhilarating, sometimes frightening, blend of fast rapids and peaceful floats through virgin forest. The film and photographs obtained are already being used to promote the next Lariang Expeditions.

Successes and Challenges

"OK...So What?"

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