Local people's priorities, views, knowledge and participation are vital for a better management of tropical forests biodiversity.

1. Local People’s Priorities for Tropical Forest
Biodiversity
... and why they matter
Douglas Sheil, Imam Basuki & Manuel Boissiere –
COP 10, Nagoya – Japan 2010

2. Background (Key points)
Views influence choices
But views differ ….
Across tropics big choices often neglect local views

3. N.B.
-Over one thousand million of the World’s poorest depend on
tropical forest to some degree (World Bank 2005)
-Poverty and tropical forests often coincide
-Democracy is a global trend (but who hears the forest people?)
Scale of dependence (tropical forests)

4. Views are complex
Local people care about biodiversity
Reflects more than needs
Can surprise

5. Mamberamo
78,000 km2
Pop:7,000
Background

6. Scale of influence
•Most cultures have conservation friendly practices
•Community protection in tropics >3,700,000 km2
≈ Area under formal protection
•Community managed >10,000,000 km2 (Molnar et al. 2004)
•Conservation value though mixed is +ve
•E.g. Mamberamo mapping 5,000 km2
Boissiere et al., in prep. People priorities and perception. Towards conservation
partnership in Mamberamo.

7. Malinau
40,000 km2
Pop:35,000
Background

8. “Indigenous knowledge”
Many cultures have rich knowledge of biodiversity
Field results from Malinau Borneo (200 plots)
15,430 plant records, > 2,100 species
3,642 specific uses, 1,449 species
Sheil, D., van Heist, M., Liswanti, N.,
Basuki, I., & Wan, M. (2008). In: The
decentralization of forest governance:
politics, economics and the fight for
control of forest in Indonesian Borneo.
Earthscan.

9. Key point
Knowledge ≠ choice or preference
Work on local knowledge does not necessarily give
insight about local preferences

10. Key point
As the World becomes more democratic,
conservation and land-use choices must be
acceptable to those impacted
We require new ways to assess and respond to
biodiversity needs and concerns across the
tropics

11. Methods Local people’s priorities for biodiversity
Methods
English,
Indonesian,
Spanish,
& French
Available from CIFOR and online

12. What occurs where?
How it matters?
Implications?
Questions
Tested in: Indonesia, Mozambique, Bolivia, Cameroon, Gabon, Philippines, Vietnam, …

13. Understanding is built by joint activities

14. Data checking is a shared task

15. Assessing importance
Scoring Sheil, D. & Liswanti, N. (2006) Scoring the importance of tropical forest landscapes
with local people: patterns and insight. Environmental Management, 38: 126-136.

16. Various ways to deal with space
Cunliffe, R., Lynam, T., Sheil, D., Wan, M., Salim, A., Basuki, I.& Priyadi
H. (2007) Developing a predictive understanding of landscape
importance to the Punan-Pelancau of East Kalimantan, Borneo. Ambio.
36: 593-599.

17. What occurs where?
How it matter?
Implications?
Sheil, D., R. Puri, M. Wan, I. Basuki, M. van Heist, N.
Liswanti, Rukmiyati, Rachmatika I. & Samsoedin I. (2006)
Local people's priorities for biodiversity: examples from the
forests of Indonesian Borneo. Ambio 35: 17-24..

18. What are the most important
species to local people in Malinau?
Overall
For food
Ulin
(Eusideroxylon zwageri)
Bearded pig
(Sus barbatus)
Sheil, D. et al. (2008). Biodiversity, landscapes and livelihoods: a local perspective.
In: Moeliono, M, et al., eds. The decentralization of forest governance: politics,
economics and the fight for control of forest in Indonesian Borneo.:61-90. Earthscan.

19. Local Campaigns
Posters, cards, meetings, briefs, video
Local school syllabus
Encourage discussion of land use

20. 1: Introduction
2: Important land types
3: Land use alternatives
4: Important species
Local Campaign: posters

21. Response
villagers, townspeople and civil servants
Positive impact (agreement and knowledge)
Support for conservation and controls
Malinau now a ‘Conservation District’
Padmanaba, M. & Sheil, D. (2007) Finding and promoting a local conservation consensus in a
globally important tropical forest landscape. Biodiversity and Conservation.

22. Applied in several sites
Site Region Population
(households)
Livelihoods References
Malinau Kalimantan,
Indonesia
366 Farmers and
hunter gatherers
Sheil et al. 2003,
2006, 2008, 2009
Gorongosa Mozambique 147 Farmers and
fishermen
Cunliffe 2003
Ottotomo Cameroon 27 Farmers Sassen and Jum
2007
Palawan Phillipines 33 Farmers and
hunter gatherers
Boissière and
Liswanti 2006
Gunung Lumut Kalimantan,
Indonesia
68 Farmers and
hunter gatherers
Murniati et al 2007
Mamberamo Papua,
Indonesia
152 Farmers,
fishermen and
hunter gatherers
CIFOR 2004
Khe Tran Thua Thien
Hue, Vietnam
20 Settled (ex-
swidden) farmers
Boissière et al
2006
Ivindo NP Gabon 47 Fishermen,
hunters, limited
farmers
Sassen and Wan
2006
Pando Bolivia 42 Farmers and
hunter gatherers
Evans et al 2005
Lorentz NP Papua,
Indonesia
650 Farmers and
hunter gatherers
NewAbout 120 Asso, Elopere,
Hilapok, Kalolik,
80 and 40 Siringueros
5000 Kwersa, Torweja,
Kawijta, Batero,
Werebo, Kwerba
20 Pahy, Khome,
Kinh
500 in 3000
territory
Kota, Makina,
Fang
30 Ewondo
60 Batak
300 Paser
Area (km2
) Ethnic group
2000 Punan, Merap,
Kenyah
400 Sena
Boissière, M., Sassen, M., Sheil, D., et al. (2010) What can we learn from the MLA surveys? A comparison of 10 case
studies. Pages 113-141 in Taking Stock of Nature. Edited by A. Lawrence. Cambridge University Press

23. Conclusion
People may be “part of the problem” but must also
be “part of the solution”
• Democracy is a +ve global change …
• Local people already protect nature in vast areas
• Vast opportunity to work with local people

24. CIFOR Web site -
http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/mla/
Order books and publications
from: I.Susilanasari@cgiar.org