Public-Private Partnership Towards HCV Area Protection in Ketapang District, West Kalimantan Province

The objective of the MoU is to improve all actors understanding about their respective roles in the villages integrated development, which will be implemented by Government, private sector and other independent institutions to increase community capacity and development of Kuala Tolak, Kuala Satong, and Laman Satong Villages of Matan Hilir Utara Sub-district into Independent Villages based on the parameters of the Developed Village Index (IDM) and is expected to be replicated to other villages in Ketapang. Read more about this news. 

Figure 2: PT. KAL and Tropenbos Indonesia representative meeting in Tropenbos Indonesia Bogor Office to in early discussion for farmer field school implementation in 2 HCVA villages to enhance commodities production and strengthen village economy.

The inter-connected protection areas (HCVA) within large-scale Oil-palm plantation (OP) concessions outside state forest areas (APL) which are defined voluntarily by private sectors as part of their compliance to ISPO, RSPO, and Province Regulation No. 6/2018. The Ketapang HCVA aims to function as wildlife corridor mainly for orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) to cross between Sungai Putri peatland production forest (with 900 – 1,250 orangutan) in Southern Ketapang to Gunung Tarak Protection Forest in Eastern Ketapang and Gunung Palung National Park in Northern Ketapang. The latter is known as the highest orangutan population in West Kalimantan Province with 2,500 orangutans (Wich et. al., 2008). One of the key aspects to conserve this HCVA is by providing sustainable deforestation free livelihoods for village communities living around the HCVA.

Since 2022, Tropenbos Indonesia (TI) has conducted serial meetings with PT. KAL to develop business and Finance collaboration. PT. KAL has employed 1,300 agricultural field staff that reside as 800 households that cumulatively includes 3,000 people of all ages. All daily needs of 800 households, such as rice, vegetable etc, currently are being supplied from Ketapang city, almost 3 hours apart from PT. KAL site. While currently there are no involvement of local businesses to fulfil basic needs of thousands of people living within PT. KAL, through multistakeholder discussion, it is concluded that communities living in Kuala Tolak and Kuala Satong villages will be capacitated to fulfil PT. KAL residencies needs while in turn developing village economy.

Figure 3: Discussions at MPK office attended by the PT KAL, TI, and MPK representatives to discuss joint development plan for 3 HCVA villages. TI role is to strengthen village farmers through farmer field school to enhance horticultural commodities, rice and oranges production which can later be marketed to meet 800 households of PT. KAL employee’s needs.

After several discussions between District governments, PT. KAL, MPK, and TI, it was finally agreed that TI was assigned the role to capacitate farmers in two Kuala Tolak and Kuala Satong villages, to produce daily consumable needs for PT. KAL staff and residencies, by developing Farmers Field School (FFS) in the two villages. While PT. KAL will act as off-taker of the local commodities to be massively produced by local communities.

Since April 15th, 2023, TI has started FFS in Kuala Tolak and Kuala Satong Villages, and it is expected that by August 2023, the commodity production of both villages will be available for sales to PT. KAL. The commodities to fulfil subsistence needs to PT. KAL are rice and vegetables. While additional commodities based on existing plots and established community livelihoods are oranges, coffee, and rubber with the last two commodities cultivated in a less productive agroforestry system at the moment.

Local farmers that will participate FFS until the end of July have been decided by both village governments. It is planned that there will be 6 women farmers out of 25 farmers from Kuala Tolak village and 10 women farmers out of 25 farmers from Kuala Satong village.
 

Figure 4: High conservation values areas located in Matan Hilir Utara Sub-district that functions as wildlife corridors crossing oil palm plantation concessions and connecting forested areas surrounding large scale oil palm plantation concessions.

Figure 5: Rubber and Coffee Agroforest of Kuala Tolak Village that will be enhanced by Farmer Field School.

Figure 6: Map of 3 integrated development villages (Kuala Tolak, Kuala Satong, and Laman Satong villages) as model of Public-Private Partnership Towards HCV Area Protection

For Laman Satong village, TI has facilitated the development of ecotourism since 2018 that still give a continuous impact. TI has supported the development of Cave of Mary and jungle tracking to Kalas Kumpang hill as ecotourism within the village. The ecotourism includes Riam Berasap Waterfall, Kinjil Waterfall, river tubing, rafting, hiking, jungle tracking and others.In collaboration with Gunung Palung National Park and Laman Satong Village, Laman Basolek and Riam Kinjil Waterfall ecotourism was established (See website: Developing of Laman Besolek Waterfall ecotourism integrating economic and ecotourism interests).

By developing public-private partnership with Ketapang District Government, PT. KAL, and MPK, it is expected that HCVAs managed by PT. KAL and BGA group can be protected from community encroachment and will pave the way to sustainable HCVA protection through community business inclusion.

Figure 7: Pre Farmer-Field School implementation discussion with Kuala Tolak village farmers.

Several videos about stakeholder partnership on HCVA protection efforts:

Laman Satong: Culture and Ecotourism Village YouTube Video

Village forest and oil palm: friend or foe? YouTube Video

Ecosystem Esential Area for Orangutan Corridor Sungai Putri-Gunung Palung

Laman Basolek, A Beauty Inside Forest

Perlindungan ABKT di APL antara Sungai Putri - Gunung Tarak - Gunung Palung