The People of Ciwaluh Signing a Collaboration with the Mts. Gede-Pangrango National Park

Part 2

Wednesday, 13 August 2008 is a historical day for the people of Ciwaluh. On that day, located in the office of the national park in Cibodas, Bogor, they had a meeting with the Head of Gede-Pangrango National Park. Representatives of Ciwaluh people came to the meeting, facilitated by Telapak.

The core of the meeting dealt with the planned collaboration between the people and the national park authority to manage forest areas that border the national park and the kampong. The people of Ciwaluh restated their vow to protect the forest, in return to the permit given by the national park to plant medicinal plants between the tree stands in the forest. To be planted by the people are: Kumis Kucing, Kapulaga, Jahe, Temulawak, Rosella, etc. in an agroforestry mixed system.

The National Park gave their permit in principle. The National Park even allows the people to plant non-forested national park areas with fruit and other commercialy important trees. This includes Durian, Rambutan, jungle coffee, Jackfruit, Cempedak, Kaweni, Avocado, Jambu air and Sirsat. With this planting and reforesting the forest will be returned in those places and the people will have another source of income from the harvesting and selling of those fruits.

Mr. Bambang, the Head of the National Park hopes that the meeting will be followed up soon with concrete action plan. He instructed the Section and Resort Heads to ensure the smooth implementation of the collaboration, and that the MoA between the national park and the people of Ciwaluh be formalized soon.

As a follow up of the meeting, on Friday 22 August 2008, the Bogor Section Head of Mts. Gede-Pangrango National Park, Mr. Hariyanto with several of his staffs conducted site visit in Ciwaluh. They met and observed directly the activity of the people of Ciwaluh in managing the forest. They verified that it is true that the people of Ciwaluh has been protecting and wisely utilizing the forest bordering their village.

During the site visit, the national park staffs held a dialogue with the community. During the dialogue, Mr. Hariyanto gave an opportunity to the community to question the national park policies especially and generally any clarification regarding forestry and environmental laws in Indonesia.

The dialogue was then centered towards the status change of the area. It has been known that in the past the forested area that directly borders Kampong Ciwaluh used to be under the jurisdiction of Perhutani. In 2003 those areas were handed over to the national park. This implies a very different management system of the area.

The dialogue has made into light the aspiration of the local community to be permitted to plant trees, in general reforest the area, which will be used later on for housing materials and fuel wood. This is especially in areas which has been deforested before, which currently totals 20 hectares. The aspiration was well received by Mr. Hariyanto, to be processed through the existing formal and legal system by the Head of the National Park.

The meeting was ended by scheduling the next meeting to draft the MoA between the national park and the people of Ciwaluh. Each party will prepare its proposal and discussion points. Telapak will continue to facilitate this process.

To be continued to Part 3



West Java Medical Plant Cooperative to gather with Telapak works in Ciwaluh Village is supported by HPSP (Holticultura Partnership Support Programme) dan Japan Enveronmental Education Forum (JEFF)