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Finding and promoting a local conservation consensus in a globally important tropical forest landscape

Biodiversity and Conservation volume 16, pages 137–151 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Can democratic processes favour conservation outcomes in the tropics? This study focuses on local viewpoints within a forested landscape of high conservation significance in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Stakeholders received posters displaying results from a previous study; these posters emphasised local priorities and views regarding local biodiversity. We assess local attitudes to this information, and consider some implications. Knowledge of, and agreement with, poster content increased among villagers, townspeople and civil servants after they received posters. All respondents appreciated the posters and all supported some form of forest conservation. All respondents agreed that biodiversity conservation and local views are vital in land-use planning. All agreed that logging companies need to be better controlled, while 80% consider them a “major environmental threat”. These results bolster our belief that involving communities is not only an ethically defensible way to achieve conservation outcomes, but also a pragmatic opportunity to do so.

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Acknowledgements

The field study was funded by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and by the World Bank. DS is supported by an EC grant to CIFOR. Two NGO partners assisted with interviews: we are grateful for the contribution from Misriani (BIOMA Samarinda) and Irin Pusparini (Pionir Bulungan). We are grateful to all the respondents who were involved in this study for their time and their interest. This text has benefited from comments from Miriam van Heist, Liza Gonzalez, Lini Wollenberg, Claire Miller, Petrus Gunarso and anonymous referees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for International Forestry Research, PO Box 6596, JKPWB, Jakarta, 10065, Indonesia

    Michael Padmanaba & Douglas Sheil

Authors
  1. Michael Padmanaba
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  2. Douglas Sheil
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Douglas Sheil.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Appendix 1 Summary of responses by respondent categories
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Padmanaba, M., Sheil, D. Finding and promoting a local conservation consensus in a globally important tropical forest landscape. Biodivers Conserv 16, 137–151 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-006-9009-x

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Keywords

  • Borneo
  • Democracy
  • Dipterocarp forests
  • Education
  • Forest-dependent-peoples
  • Governance
  • Indigenous-peoples
  • Information campaign
  • Logging
  • Local priorities
  • Perceptions ethnicity and knowledge

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