whether the social science research that has
been conducted under the auspices of C&C
has improved our understanding of the local
context and secured useful results for the
national park.Research that makes a difference!
The
research
results first
established
that the
communities
in the
national
park area
are still “tra-
ditional
communi-
ties”
(masyarakat
adat), large-
ly regulated
by custom-
ary law in
the conduct
of their daily
affairs and
the man-
agement of
natural
resources.
This was an
essential
point with
regard to
the long-
term man-
agement goal of the area and the need to
involve local communities in conservation. It
also justified the efforts to seek official
recognition for communities’ claims on tradi-
tional land and resources from the district
government and the Ministry of Forestry.
The extensive documentation on land
tenure systems and regulations for the
exploitation of forest resources helped bring
the issue of customary rights to the atten-tion of government officials in the Bulungan
district (Kabupaten) and the Ministry of
Forestry. The role of traditional institutions,
presently reflected in institutions like the
customary council (lembaga adat) and the
customary chief (kepala adat), is key to
understanding the communities’ views of
rights and the way they deliberate on issues
of forest management as well as social
responsibilities. The prominent role of cus-
tomary institutions in the management of
forest resources supported the claim that
these institutions can become the privileged
interlocutors in planning for the manage-
ment of the conservation area.Several researchers described aspects of
what is usually referred to as an “indige-
nous management system,” or the ability of
local people to use, alter, regulate, and
restore land and other natural resources in
their environment. Adding to the growing
literature on the environmentally sustainable
function of shifting cultivation in tropical
forests under stable conditions,^7 their
research provides important evidence that
local people’s agricultural practices are not
intrinsically destructive of the environment
but rather draw on knowledge and under-
standing of its micro-dynamics. The wide
range of forest plants and crop varieties
used by local communities also suggests a
high degree of biodiversity that has been
managed and intentionally maintained for
centuries. As we would expect in all com-
munities, there are episodes of non-adher-
ence to traditional rules, yet the overall con-
formity of behavior indicates a high degree
of social cohesion and the community’s vital
dependence on the forest for its well-being.The definitive archaeological and historical
evidence of the long presence of Dayak
people in the Kayan Mentarang area are a
powerful reminder that these peoples’ prac-
tices and interactions with the forest also
have a long history. And the recognition of
the local people’s dependence on forestA ““cultural aapproach” tto cconservation?
Figure 2.A woman training
younger women about making clay
pots. Clay pots used to be the tradi-
tional cooking pots in the interior of
Borneo until they were replaced by
aluminium rice cookers (Long Jelet,
sub-district of Pujungan, East
Kalimantan, Indonesia). (Courtesy
Cristina Eghenter).