In villages, change in work and routine create risks in a villager’s livelihood and future. As such, how are restoration efforts introduced to communities?

“In villages, change is expensive”, stated Suraya Affif, anthropologist from University of Indonesia, on a webinar titled Tokoh Restorasi: Para Penjaga Hutan Desa (“Restoration Figures: The Village Forest Guardians”) on February 10th 2021. In the webinar, organized by Forest Digest in partnership with Katingan Mentaya Project, Affif explained further that change in work and routine create risks in a villager’s livelihood and future. Within the forests of Katingan Mentaya Project’s project area, this might present a problem on its own as change is needed in order to introduce sustainable efforts of forest restoration.

Exploitation, illegal logging, and forest fires continue to be the three most fervent problems plaguing forests worldwide, including the forests of Borneo and the ones that currently reside within Katingan Mentaya Project’s project area. As such, in order for restoration efforts to succeed, it must first be able to offer an alternative or a solution for the problems that live within local communities. Through a long process of engagement with communities and villagers alike, Katingan Mentaya Project has established restoration strategies that not only protects the environment but also embraces local communities through partnerships and community development.

Through these efforts, Katingan Mentaya Project has successfully converted, among others, illegal loggers to farmers and the way in which villagers clear their lands. KMP are able to do this through strategic partnership and by active participation from the community. Of the villagers most active in these restoration efforts, 5 were chosen as Forest Digest’s 2020 Restoration Figures and revered as figures who are exemplary role models in restoration and forest management. These 5 figures were each invited to speak about their experiences on the webinar dated February 10th this year.