In light of the community quarantine measures currently in effect in the National Capital Region in the Philippines, the NTFP-EP Asia office will continue to operate at a limited capacity until the community quarantine is lifted. This is to ensure the safety of our team, our partners and the community at large in compliance with national policies and guidelines.
During this period, domestic and international travel will be restricted, working hours will be limited and work-from-home arrangements have been put in place to minimize risk. For queries and other matters, you may continue to contact us as usual through online means.
Now. more than ever, we must all do our part to contain the spread of COVID-19 especially for the benefit of the most vulnerable and most in need. This is a problem that no single entity, sector or individual can solve alone. We encourage everyone to promote compassion, humanity and sensible cooperation in times of crisis.
Article by Beatrix Gebze. Translated by Dewi Laila Sari.
Life has depended on nature for generations, yet its destruction continues unabated. Even though we know that forests provide us with plenty of food reserves, many people have been doing destructive activities and tools in harvesting forest products. We need to look after it, for the sake of the future generations.
This is what Mama Yolenta, a eucaplyptus leaf picker who lives in the forests of Kampong Yawar (Rawa Biru) in Merauke, Papua, hopes that people would realize.
She is a local entrepreneur who produces eucalyptus oil for a living. Everyday she picks the leaves from the forest and processes it into eucalyptus oil for selling to a local distributor.
But in recent years, Mama Yolenta has noticed there are fewer eucalyptus plants in the forest. As a consequence, she can produce less eucalyptus oil for selling everyday. Forest fires and illegal logging activities, according to her, are the primary causes for the disappearing eucalyptus plants.
This has challenged Mama Yolenta and her family to continue living there and guard the forest. In doing so, she proactively takes responsibility in protecting the forest from irresponsible people.
Even though the eucalyptus are inside the protected forest region inside the national park, many harmful human activities that damage the forest continue unchecked
She calls on the local government to put more concern in forest preservation and work with the communities that live in and live from the forest.
Original Text
Hidup bergantung dari alam, adalah cara yang sudah dilakukan secara turun temurun, namun masih saja alam terus di rusak, hutan yang begitu banyak menyediakan makanan bagi kita manusia terus saja diambil secara paksa, dengan cara dihancurkan, padahal kita tahu bahwa hutan itu adalah dapur bagi perut kita.
Sehingga kita harus menjaganya. Itulah yang diharapkan Mama Yolenta, seorang pencari daun minyak kayu putih yang kesehariannya dia habiskan didalam hutan.
Mama Yolenta adalah pengusaha local penghasil minyak kayu putih yang berasal dari Kampong Yawar atau kampong Rawabiru, hidupnya setiap hari mengumpulkan daun minyak kayu putih, memasaknya, menyulingnya sehingga menghasilkan minyak kayu putih dan dijual kepada penadah, namun harga yang ditentukan tidak sebarapa dari apa yang dia lakukan dalam proses membuat minyak kayu putih, karena hasil minyak kayuh putih tidak dapat di produksi lebih banyak karena kekurangan bahan, akibat banyaknya pohon minyak kayu putih yang terbakar, bahkan banyak juga di tebang secara liar.
Kondisi inilah yang membuat Mama Yolenta terus berharap agar hutan yang menyediakan bahan baku utama minyak kayu putih tidak dirusak. Hutan penghasil minyak kayu putih adalah kawasan yang dilindungi karena berada dalam kawasan taman nasional namun, tidak ada proteksi bagi wilayah ini, sehingga mama yolenta dengan keluarganya memilih tinggal di hutan agar dapat menjaga hutan ini dari para perusak, pemerintah setempat diharapkan dapat melihat persoalan yang dihadapi oleh masrakatnya begitu juga dengan lingkungannya.
Article by Shadiq Sos. English translation by Dewi Laila Sari.
With its bright color and unique petal shape, orchids are not only interesting, they are also easy to find in the forest. For the women in Namo Village, orchids are more than just for decoration–it has significant economic potential in increasing their family’s income.
Namo, located in Central Sulawesi in Indonesia, was recognized as a village forest in Palu in 2011 by the Ministry of Forestry, and received the right to manage it as granted by the Governor of Central Sulawesi.
The biodiversity in the Namo forest village is similar to what we can find in Lore Lindu National Park, also in Central Sulawesi, with its abundant non-timber forest products (NTFPs). The cultivation of forest orchids in the Namo village community was initiated by Perkumpulan Inovasi Komunitas (Imunitas), in cooperation with Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP), the village forest managing board, and the local government
Currently, there are several items identified as NTFPs that can be processed by the community. These include Anggrek Rotan, resin, aloes, forest honey, plant medicines, among others. There are several types of orchid that live in Namo Village, such as Cymbidium, Miltona, Dendrobium, Oncidium, Vanda, Arachnis, and Renanthera. While plenty of Orchiddaceae (Orchids) can be found in the forest, unfortunately they are not quite utilized by the community yet. More varieties could be found after further studies.
The village women attend an orchid cultivation training course.
Evlin is one of the women in Namo village who cultivates orchids in her own garden, which she has done so for the last two years. For her, orchids aren’t just decorations at home, she also sells them as a way to expand her family’s income. Another villager, Srimpi, also does the same. “[My] family has truly benefited from the forest and the orchids that grow in it,” she says.
Aside from orchids, the villagers also produce products from rattan and sugar palm. They make sure that their livelihoods still contribute to forest resource conservation. The women and the rest of the village implement a participatory guarantee system, a scheme that ensures proper and sustainable harvesting of NTFPs in their area.
Original Text
Dengan
kelopaknya yang berwarna cerah dan berbentuk unik, anggrek adalah salah satu
spesies tanaman paling menarik yang dapat ditemukan di hutan.
Namun bagi perempuan di Desa Namo, anggrek bukan hanya sekedar tanaman hias saja, namun anggrek memiliki potensi untuk memberikan manfaat ekonomi yang lebih baik kepada mereka. Sejak ditetapkannya sebagai Hutan Desa tahun 2011 oleh Menteri Kehutanan, dan memperoleh Hak Pengelolaan Hutan Desa (HPHD) oleh Gubernur Sulawesi Tengah. Hutan Desa Namo, dengan keanekaragaman hayati yang dijumpai di dalamnya tidak berbeda jauh dengan yang di jumpai di kawasan Taman Nasional Lore Lindu. Di Hutan Desa Namo berdasarkan pemanfaatannya yang diutamakan adalah Hasil Hutan Bukan Kayu (HHBK).
Kelompok Budidaya Anggrek Hutan Desa Namo yang diinisasi oleh Perkumpulan Inovasi
Komunitas (Imunitas) bekerjasama dengan NTFP-EP serta Lembaga Pengelola Hutan
Desa (LPHD) dan Pemerintah Desa Namo. Saat ini telah teridentifikasi HHBK yang potensial
untuk dikelola oleh masyarakat. Antara lain adalah; Anggrek Rotan, , damar,
gaharu, madu hutan, tumbuhaobat-obatan dan lain sebagainya.
Salah satu potensi HHBK yang cukup melimpah, namun belum termanfaatkan adalah tumbuhan anggrek (Orchidaceae). Di hutan desa Namo, dijumpai beberapa jenis anggrek yang antara lain adalah Cymbidium sp dan Miltona sp. Dendrobium sp dan Oncidium sp. Vanda sp, Arachnis sp, dan Renanthera sp. dan masih dimungkinkan dijumpai jenis-jenis anggrek lain jika dilakukan eksplorasi mendalam.
Ibu Evlin salah seorang warga desa Namo telah memulai budi daya anggrek di pekarangan rumahnya,ada beberapa jenis tanaman anggrek yang di ambil dari Hutan Desa Namo yang hidup dengan subur di dan di tata di dalam rumah anggrek, Menurut Ibu Evlin budidaya anggrek yang dia lakukan sudah berjalan dua tahun selain memberi keindahan juga memberi manfaat ekonomi,anggerk yng di budidaya sudah ada yang terjual dengan harga yang lumayan bagus,hal senada juga di sampaikan oleh ibu Srimpi,tanaman anggrek selain memberi nilai tambah secara ekonomi pada keluarga selain itu perempuan dalam memanfaatkan dan mengelola hutan , hutan berperan penting hampir semua perempuan desa Namo menggantungkan hidup pada hutan.
Hutan tempat mencari kayu bakar, tanaman pangan, tanaman hias sampai obat-obatan. Anggrek jika pemanfaatannya dikelola dengan baik, akan memberikan tambahan pendapatan ekonomis bagi masyarakat, terutama untuk ibu-ibu.
