Villagers Reforest Barren Lands: Klaces, Central Java

Assisted by Yogyakarta-based environmental non-governmental organization Silvagama, Kaces villagers last month planted 5,000 acacia and alba seedlings. The acacia seedlings were planted in barren areas, while the alba seedlings were planted on steep banks of the forest for protection. Aside from acacia and alba, various fruit trees were also planted.

“Our principle is to till the barren land and at the same time re-green it,” said Sangidun, a father of two.

Klaces is situated in the north-west of Nusakambangan island, which is also an incarceration site for high-profile criminals.
According to Silvagama, about 3,000 hectares of the island’s 18,000 hectares of tropical forests are barren due to illegal logging and a series of failed projects.

In 1995, for example, a company owned by businesswoman Siti Hadiyati Rukmana, a daughter of former president Soeharto, cleared up to 1,000 hectares of forest on the island for a Cavendish banana project. The project, however, did not materialize.

“The government attempted to re-green the area. But the crops did not live long because no one took care of them. So the forest remains barren,” said Sangidun, a Klaces resident.

Many of the trees planted for reforestation were illegally felled due to the poverty plaguing villagers. “As some of the villagers were unemployed, they had to illegally fell the trees to feed their families,” Sangidun added.

Another villager, Sukirman, noted that there were two groups responsible for making areas in Nusakambangan barren. The first are loggers who earn between Rp 6,000 (approximately 67 U.S. cents) and Rp 8,000 for felling a four-meter-tall tree with a diameter of 30 centimeters. The second are transporters who carry logs from the forest to a motorized boat locally known as compreng. The transporters earn between Rp 8,000 and Rp 15,000 per tree.

“The profit is small and is hardly enough to buy traditional herbal medicine. But what else can they do? They are poor and are, on average, uneducated,” Sukirman said.

Klaces villagers agreed last year to stop tree felling and to start re-greening in an attempt to improve their economic situation. Last month re-greening projects included planting fruit crops, which they hope they can harvest to earn money without having to fell trees.

And to raise money, the trees were sold to the villagers themselves. “The proceeds will be used for a fruit-tree nursery for the crops to be planted in the barren forest,” Sukirman said.

“Without any economic incentives on the part of villagers, illegal felling will continue. As long as they are poor and have no means of living, they will continue to steal. The planting of these fruit crops is one effort to make the villagers maintain the forest sustainability and at the same time benefit from it,” Sukirman stressed.

Another villager, Dimpil, 55, believes this program will be successful if the villagers are patient as it will take three to five years before any fruit can be harvested.

“We have proof. The fruit crops that I planted five years ago such as kedondong, rambutan and pete, have been harvested. In a year I can earn Rp 700,000 from the harvest,” he said.

To meet their daily needs while waiting for the fruit crop harvest, the villagers can grow something on the barren land. “This will give them enough money to buy food,” he said.

Meanwhile, Klaces village head Samino said as part of the local administration he could not officially give support to residents involved in the project. The legal position of Nusakambangan is still controversial, with the justice ministry and the Cilacap regency administration in Central Java still contesting ownership over the island.

“Officially, I cannot give my support from a village administration point of view. But I personally give my full support because the goal is good,” Samino said.

Meanwhile, Unang of Silvagama said economic improvement was very important for the villagers. Because they live on an isolated island, villagers must buy daily necessities at high prices.

“All daily necessities like rice, sugar and cooking oil are more expensive here as additional transportation fees are required,” Unang said.

Assistance from Silvagama, according to Unang, is aimed at strengthening the self-management ability of the villagers and not land ownership. It is expected that Nusakambangan island will be green again and the villagers can benefit from this.