Wilderness and Order: Forest Conservation in Malinau District, East Kalimantan

Abstract

"What should a newly established district do when it has autonomy, a population of about 50,000 people, a landlocked area of 4.2 million hectares of which 90% is state forest which includes a 1 million hectare national park considered a global common good? The district of Malinau in East Kalimantan has chosen to develop a 'conservation district' to attract support.

"However, the concept of 'conservation district' is as yet unclear and although there has been international support for the national park, no direct benefit to the district has been forthcoming. Within the decentralized state, national parks and conservation of natural resources remain central government issues. The reduced authority of local governments over forests makes conservation even less attractive. Meanwhile pressure from business companies attracted to Malinau because of its timber and mining resources is increasing. Local elites, both at district and community level, are attracted to these business offers for their own individual benefit and do not see conservation as being locally beneficial.

"In this paper I will discuss the use of conservation and sustainable development rhetoric including the use of ethnic Dayak identities and their traditional wisdom in managing natural resources on the one hand and the reality of increasing privatization of land and resource extraction on the other hand. I will then link this to the implications of developing a conservation district and the way local communities perceive conservation."