Samboja Lestari
Encyclopedia
Samboja Lestari is an area of restored tropical rainforest
near the city of Balikpapan
in East Kalimantan
, Borneo
, Indonesia
, created by the Borneo Orangutan Survival
Foundation (BOS) led by Dr Willie Smits
, with the aim of providing a safe haven for rehabilitated orangutans
while at the same time providing a source of income for local people. According to Smits' talks for Qi Global and TED
, Samboja Lestari has evolved on the principles of People, Planet, Profit, linking community and empowerment and capacity-building with promoting economic development and conservation. Located about 38 kilometers from East Kalimantan's capital, Balikpapan
.
The project covers nearly 2000 hectares (7.7 sq mi) of deforested
, degraded and burnt land. In 2001 BOS began purchasing land near Samboja that, like much of the deforested land in Borneo
, had been by impoverished by mechanical logging, drought and severe fires and was now covered in alang-alang grass (Imperata cylindrica). The name Samboja Lestari roughly translates as the "Samboja Forever". Reforestation
and orangutan rehabilitation is the core of this acclaimed but controversial project, with hundreds of indigenous tree species planted. By the middle of 2006 over 740 different tree species had been planted; by 2009 there were 1200 species of trees, 137 species of birds and nine species of primates.
and later still by the national Indonesian oil company Pertamina
. The oil company began cutting wood in the 1950s and as people came flooding into the booming oil town of Balikpapan they cleared the surrounding forest.
With the pronounced El Niño of 1982 and 1983 the worst firestorms then known in a tropical forest ravaged the area, destroying what small pockets of forest that remained. Following the pattern of deforestation in Borneo
as a whole, the area was now vulnerable to the dry years that followed. In 1997 and 1998 the fires enveloped the region in smoke
. The thick choking smog darkened the sky and caused respiratory problems throughout the region and beyond.
According to Smits' 2009 TED talk
, Samboja in 2002 before reforestation was the poorest district of East Kalimantan, with 50% of the population unemployed and a high crime rate. There had been climate change, with severe droughts resulting in crop failures, along with almost total extinction of plant and animal life. Flooding occurred five or six times a year and there were annual fires. Almost a quarter of average income went on buying drinking water. The land no longer sustained any agricultural productivity and was covered with alang-alang grass (Imperata cylindrica) which produces hydrocyanic acid that prevents the germination of tree seeds. There were many nutrition and hygiene related health problems and life expectancy was low, with high infant and maternal mortality.
, with hard plinthite
clods. Not far beneath the surface there were coal
seams that in the dry periods opened up to the air and caught fire. In addition there were concerns whether the area would be sufficient for the population of 1000 orangutans that was deemed to be viable over 500 years in the absence of logging or hunting. Land prices were rising and it would be impossible to buy enough land to support such a population in normal rainforest. The possibility of increasing the number of orangutans per hectare by increasing the density of fruit-bearing trees above the normal figure, in particular the density of wild fig trees
. Despite this, forestry experts were sceptical: they believed that once the rainforest was cut and burned down, it would never return.
As soil-forming pioneer trees the drought-resistant Sungkai (Peronema canessceus) and legumes such as Acacia mangium
which fix nitrogen
through symbiotic
Rhizobium
bacteria in their root nodules.
Smits drew on his background in microbiology and his doctoral dissertation on mycorrhiza
, making enormous quantities of compost for tree seedlings. Along with organic waste, he mixed in sawdust, fruit remnants from the orangutan cages, manure from cattle and chickens scavenged from his other projects in Kalimantan and a microbiological agent made from sugar and cow urine.
, confiscated from the illegal pet trade or rescued from deforested areas.
The sanctuary includes a 58 hectare (0.22393925198367 sq mi) area put aside for the bears including a 55 hectare patch of fenced secondary forest with maturing fruit trees and a river and a second area of approximately 3 hectares.
of the species-rich rainforest of Borneo, a young forest is quickly emerging which it is hoped will evolve over time into such a rainforest. In the tropical climate of Borneo plants grow much faster than in Europe. A tree may reach a height of up to 17 metres within four years. Already dense forest surrounds the headquarters of BOS in the Samboja Lestari area. In addition to the return of bird species (such as the rare Hornbill
), 30 species of reptile
, Porcupines, pangolin
s, mouse deer and many other animal species have returned. The endangered
Proboscis monkeys are one of seven primate species to be found at Samboja Lestari.
) trees. This serves both as a protective barrier against fires and as a source of income for over 650 families. Samboja Lestari enjoys the support of the local people through its creation of employment such as in the fire protection program and maintaining the security of drinking water resources.
Alongside the orangutan reintroduction work, BOS has promoted forms of farming that do not involve burning and destroying forests, by switching to agriculture combining rattan, sugar palms, pineapples, papayas, beans, and corn along with other fruits and vegetables. A community of 2,000 Indonesians is developing that can now support itself on the land. Smits believes that to develop the orangutan population, their forest habitat must first be built; also, to achieve sustainable solutions the root social problems must be addressed by empowering local communities to take up livelihood options that is more rewarding than logging.
The contract to supply food for the orangutans is worth 125 million Indonesian rupiah (about $14,000) a month for 150 farmers (the estimated average monthly income for a worker in the villages is between one and two million rupiah).
satellite images from 2002 and 2007 with additional information overlaid.
in unsuitable locations. A study commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature
Netherlands with SarVision showed that almost half of present oil palm plantations are not located on suitable land. The use of satellite technology and GIS has enabled SarVison to monitor forests down to the individual tree level, to develop accountability in the management of the forest and identify where palm oil plantations are destroying areas of forest illegally.
, renewable energy advocate and chief scientist at Colorado's Rocky Mountain Institute
claimed Samboja Lestari was possibly "the finest example of ecological and economic restoration in the Tropics." In 2009 Smits was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship
. Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who are recognized to have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society.
For Francis E. Putz, botany professor at the University of Florida, there is another concern: what if Smits successfully demonstrates that devastated lands can be turned into multilayered stands supporting a mixture of plant and animal species? In the eyes of developers and policymakers, will that then justify destroying existing rain forests?
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
near the city of Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
in East Kalimantan
East Kalimantan
East Kalimantan is the second largest Indonesian province, located on the Kalimantan region on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda and Balikpapan...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, created by the Borneo Orangutan Survival
Borneo Orangutan Survival
The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation is an Indonesian non-profit NGO founded by Dr Willie Smits in 1991 and dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Bornean Orangutan and its habitat through the involvement of local people...
Foundation (BOS) led by Dr Willie Smits
Willie Smits
Willie Smits is a trained forester, a microbiologist, conservationist, animal rights activist and social entrepreneur...
, with the aim of providing a safe haven for rehabilitated orangutans
Bornean Orangutan
The Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the slightly smaller Sumatran orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia....
while at the same time providing a source of income for local people. According to Smits' talks for Qi Global and TED
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
, Samboja Lestari has evolved on the principles of People, Planet, Profit, linking community and empowerment and capacity-building with promoting economic development and conservation. Located about 38 kilometers from East Kalimantan's capital, Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
.
The project covers nearly 2000 hectares (7.7 sq mi) of deforested
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
, degraded and burnt land. In 2001 BOS began purchasing land near Samboja that, like much of the deforested land in Borneo
Deforestation in Borneo
Borneo, the third largest island in the world, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, was once covered with dense rainforests, but along with its tropical lowland and highland forests, there has been extensive deforestation in the past sixty years. In the 1980s and 1990s the forests of...
, had been by impoverished by mechanical logging, drought and severe fires and was now covered in alang-alang grass (Imperata cylindrica). The name Samboja Lestari roughly translates as the "Samboja Forever". Reforestation
Reforestation
Reforestation is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands that have been depleted, usually through deforestation....
and orangutan rehabilitation is the core of this acclaimed but controversial project, with hundreds of indigenous tree species planted. By the middle of 2006 over 740 different tree species had been planted; by 2009 there were 1200 species of trees, 137 species of birds and nine species of primates.
History of Samboja
The small town of Samboja was founded about a century ago in what was then rainforest when oil was discovered in the area. The first drilling began in 1897 near Balikpapan Bay. Dutch oil workers moved into the area to work for a company that was later taken over by ShellRoyal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
and later still by the national Indonesian oil company Pertamina
Pertamina
Pertamina is an Indonesian government-owned corporation which extracts and refines the country's oil and gas reserves. It was created in August 1968 by the merger of Pertamin and Permina...
. The oil company began cutting wood in the 1950s and as people came flooding into the booming oil town of Balikpapan they cleared the surrounding forest.
Deforestation in Borneo
Borneo, the third largest island in the world, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, was once covered with dense rainforests, but along with its tropical lowland and highland forests, there has been extensive deforestation in the past sixty years. In the 1980s and 1990s the forests of...
as a whole, the area was now vulnerable to the dry years that followed. In 1997 and 1998 the fires enveloped the region in smoke
1997 Southeast Asian haze
The 1997 Southeast Asian haze was a large-scale air quality disaster which occurred during the second half of 1997, its after-effects causing widespread atmospheric visibility and health problems within Southeast Asia...
. The thick choking smog darkened the sky and caused respiratory problems throughout the region and beyond.
According to Smits' 2009 TED talk
TED (conference)
TED is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate "ideas worth spreading"....
, Samboja in 2002 before reforestation was the poorest district of East Kalimantan, with 50% of the population unemployed and a high crime rate. There had been climate change, with severe droughts resulting in crop failures, along with almost total extinction of plant and animal life. Flooding occurred five or six times a year and there were annual fires. Almost a quarter of average income went on buying drinking water. The land no longer sustained any agricultural productivity and was covered with alang-alang grass (Imperata cylindrica) which produces hydrocyanic acid that prevents the germination of tree seeds. There were many nutrition and hygiene related health problems and life expectancy was low, with high infant and maternal mortality.
Land Purchase
In 2001 BOS began purchasing land near Samboja. It was insured that the purchase of each plot of land was in accordance with regulations and documented by letter, official seal and security copy, that the land was free from foreign influence and that its protected status would be permanent.Concerns
Conditions were not favourable: aside from the land degradation, the soil itself was not promising - predominantly clayClay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, with hard plinthite
Plinthite
Plinthite is an iron-rich, humus-poor mixture of clay with quartz and other minerals.Plinthite is a redoximophic feature in highly weathered soil. The product of pedogenesis, it commonly occurs as dark red redox concretions that usually form platy, polygonal, or reticulate patterns...
clods. Not far beneath the surface there were coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
seams that in the dry periods opened up to the air and caught fire. In addition there were concerns whether the area would be sufficient for the population of 1000 orangutans that was deemed to be viable over 500 years in the absence of logging or hunting. Land prices were rising and it would be impossible to buy enough land to support such a population in normal rainforest. The possibility of increasing the number of orangutans per hectare by increasing the density of fruit-bearing trees above the normal figure, in particular the density of wild fig trees
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
. Despite this, forestry experts were sceptical: they believed that once the rainforest was cut and burned down, it would never return.
Tree Planting
In May 2003 BOS bought 1200 hectares (4.6 sq mi), most of it with credit from the Gibbon Foundation, also under the management of Smits. In a tree nursery of 3 hectares, 250,000 small trees of about 400 species were waiting to be planted. Of particular importance were the 500 or so species that bore fruit eaten by the orangutan. Many of the seeds of these had been recovered from orangutan faeces all over Borneo.As soil-forming pioneer trees the drought-resistant Sungkai (Peronema canessceus) and legumes such as Acacia mangium
Acacia mangium
Acacia mangium is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to northeastern Queensland in Australia, the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, Papua, and the eastern Maluku Islands. Common names include Black Wattle, Hickory Wattle and Mangium...
which fix nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...
through symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
Rhizobium
Rhizobium
Rhizobium is a genus of Gram-negative soil bacteria that fix nitrogen. Rhizobium forms an endosymbiotic nitrogen fixing association with roots of legumes and Parasponia....
bacteria in their root nodules.
Smits drew on his background in microbiology and his doctoral dissertation on mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza
A mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular plant....
, making enormous quantities of compost for tree seedlings. Along with organic waste, he mixed in sawdust, fruit remnants from the orangutan cages, manure from cattle and chickens scavenged from his other projects in Kalimantan and a microbiological agent made from sugar and cow urine.
Orangutan rehabilitation
The drive to secure the future of the Bornean Orangutan was the central concern of the project. Smits' Orangutan Rehabilitation Project at Wanariset was moved to Samboja. "Forest Schools" were established, areas that provide natural, educational playgrounds for the orangutans in which to learn forest skills. Here the orangutans roam freely but under supervision and are returned to sleeping cages for the night. "Orangutan islands" were created where the orangutans and other wildlife that cannot return to the wild are nevertheless able to live in almost completely natural conditions.Sun bears
At the request of the Indonesian Government, Samboja Lestari became home to 52 sun bearsSun Bear
The sun bear , sometimes known as the honey bear, is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia; North-East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Southern China, Peninsular Malaysia, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.-Description:The sun bear...
, confiscated from the illegal pet trade or rescued from deforested areas.
The sanctuary includes a 58 hectare (0.22393925198367 sq mi) area put aside for the bears including a 55 hectare patch of fenced secondary forest with maturing fruit trees and a river and a second area of approximately 3 hectares.
Return of biodiversity
Although there is not yet a return to the biodiversityBiodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of the species-rich rainforest of Borneo, a young forest is quickly emerging which it is hoped will evolve over time into such a rainforest. In the tropical climate of Borneo plants grow much faster than in Europe. A tree may reach a height of up to 17 metres within four years. Already dense forest surrounds the headquarters of BOS in the Samboja Lestari area. In addition to the return of bird species (such as the rare Hornbill
Hornbill
Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
), 30 species of reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
, Porcupines, pangolin
Pangolin
A pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...
s, mouse deer and many other animal species have returned. The endangered
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
Proboscis monkeys are one of seven primate species to be found at Samboja Lestari.
Farming
The local population around the area is a crucial part of the project. Planted around the perimeter of the rainforest is a belt of sugar palm (Arenga pinnataArenga pinnata
Arenga pinnata is an economically important feather palm native to tropical Asia, from eastern India east to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in the east...
) trees. This serves both as a protective barrier against fires and as a source of income for over 650 families. Samboja Lestari enjoys the support of the local people through its creation of employment such as in the fire protection program and maintaining the security of drinking water resources.
Alongside the orangutan reintroduction work, BOS has promoted forms of farming that do not involve burning and destroying forests, by switching to agriculture combining rattan, sugar palms, pineapples, papayas, beans, and corn along with other fruits and vegetables. A community of 2,000 Indonesians is developing that can now support itself on the land. Smits believes that to develop the orangutan population, their forest habitat must first be built; also, to achieve sustainable solutions the root social problems must be addressed by empowering local communities to take up livelihood options that is more rewarding than logging.
The contract to supply food for the orangutans is worth 125 million Indonesian rupiah (about $14,000) a month for 150 farmers (the estimated average monthly income for a worker in the villages is between one and two million rupiah).
"Create Rainforest"
To finance the nature reserve, BOS created a system of "land-purchasing", a "Create Rainforest" initiative where donors can sybolically adopt square metres of rainforest and are able to view and follow the progress of their "purchase" in the project area with Google EarthGoogle Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
satellite images from 2002 and 2007 with additional information overlaid.
Samboja Lodge
The Samboja Lodge was established to provide accommodation for visitors and volunteers at Samboja. Its design was based upon local architecture and its interior and exterior walls are made of recycled materials.Environmental impact
In his 2009 TED talk Smits claimed there had been a substantial increase in cloud cover and 30% more rainfall due to the reforestation at Samboja Lestari.SarVision
The SarVision Satellite Natural Resources Monitoring Centre was established to monitor deforestation and illegal logging and the relentless growth of palm oilPalm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
in unsuitable locations. A study commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
Netherlands with SarVision showed that almost half of present oil palm plantations are not located on suitable land. The use of satellite technology and GIS has enabled SarVison to monitor forests down to the individual tree level, to develop accountability in the management of the forest and identify where palm oil plantations are destroying areas of forest illegally.
Praise
Amory LovinsAmory Lovins
Amory Bloch Lovins is an American environmental scientist and writer, Chairman and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. He has worked in the field of energy policy and related areas for four decades...
, renewable energy advocate and chief scientist at Colorado's Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute is an organization in the United States dedicated to research, publication, consulting, and lecturing in the general field of sustainability, with a special focus on profitable innovations for energy and resource efficiency. RMI was established in 1982 and has grown into a...
claimed Samboja Lestari was possibly "the finest example of ecological and economic restoration in the Tropics." In 2009 Smits was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public
Ashoka: Innovators for the Public is a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, VA, supporting the field of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka was founded by Bill Drayton in 1981 to identify and support leading social entrepreneurs through a Social Venture Capital approach with the goal of...
. Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who are recognized to have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society.
Criticism
Some, like Erik Meijaard, say that it remains unclear whether Samboja Lestari is a good idea that achieves results, and that the success will ultimately depend on the extent to which it can improve community livelihoods and achieve long-term financial stability: "That question remains unanswered, and will remain so for a few years, because that is the kind of time such projects need to be evaluated." Meijaard also questions the enormous cost of projects like Samboja, and their financial sustainability, saying, like others, that it is better to concentrate on projects that attempt to protect those remaining areas of forest rather than trying to create new ones from scratch.For Francis E. Putz, botany professor at the University of Florida, there is another concern: what if Smits successfully demonstrates that devastated lands can be turned into multilayered stands supporting a mixture of plant and animal species? In the eyes of developers and policymakers, will that then justify destroying existing rain forests?
See also
- Borneo Orangutan SurvivalBorneo Orangutan SurvivalThe Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation is an Indonesian non-profit NGO founded by Dr Willie Smits in 1991 and dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Bornean Orangutan and its habitat through the involvement of local people...
- Willie SmitsWillie SmitsWillie Smits is a trained forester, a microbiologist, conservationist, animal rights activist and social entrepreneur...
- Lone Drøscher Nielsen
External links
- Borneo Orangutan Survival International - www.savetheorangutan.org
- Borneo Orangutan Survival Indonesia - www.orangutan.or.id
- Orangutan Outreach - redapes.org
- Samboja Lodge website
- Documentary on Samboja Lestari on YouTube
- Create Rainforest website
- TED.com TED talk: "Willie Smits restores a rain forest"
- Google Earth Hero: BOS, Borneo rain forest on YouTube