A recent article in the Jakarta Globe documented the incredible conservation that the Indigenous Peoples of Indonesia engage in through their way of being. Rizal Mahfud described his Ngata Toro community of Central Sulawesi as having “had our own ways to protect the forests for hundreds of years…we don’t need any government programs. We just need to develop [our own].” 

The article also notes the work of the Iban Dayak community who have maintained a quota system for logging in their area since 1819 and mapped their forest zones. The article emphasises that what communities need is increased recognition of their rights to inhabit and conserve their traditional areas over funding. 

Read the full article here.