Exploring communities’ values and uses of intact and degraded forest areas in Central Kalimantan

Tropical peat swamp forest (PSF) values and uses by local communities have been identified as key determinants of sustainable forest management. Understanding these terms has become essential in the conservation strategy decision-making processes, as it integrates the impacted communities concerns of nature. This study aims to enhance understanding of the pressures and motivations for local communities working in the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF) Mawas Conservation area in Mantangai, Central Kalimantan. To assess attitudes, usage, and livelihood changes within the intact versus degraded forests, we conducted focus groups in four Dayak communities. Semi-structured interviews were used for data triangulation. The values and uses of the forest were explored with participatory and gender-based analysis tools, analysed with qualitative narrative and contents analysis approaches. Using theme analysis, we assessed how the community protects the forest to determine their possible contribution to PSF protection. Here we present the main values (intrinsic, instrumental and relational) and uses of the forest described by the community, and also critical gender differences. We describe their relevance in relation to the development of a conservation strategy for the area. It also serves as a model for assessment of PSF in other areas and raise awareness of the understudied threats facing these forests and potential opportunities for their protection.


Introduction
Tropical peatlands are a complex and dynamic ecosystem, shaped by ecological and social histories [1,2].The greatest extent of tropical peatlands is located in Indonesia, however in recent decades its social and ecological landscape has seen massive changes of logging, drainage, conversion to agriculture, and subsequent fires [3,4].On the island of Kalimantan, the largest peatland is located in the province of Central Kalimantan [4]; it covers approximately 23% of Indonesia's total peatland [5].Unfortunately, the PSF in Central Kalimantan, like the rest of Indonesia, faces intense encroachment and degradation pressures from direct and indirect anthropogenic factors including illegal logging, hunting, non-timber forest products (NTFPs) extraction, fires, and new drainage canals [6].
Human decisions and behaviours towards their surrounding ecosystems are determined in the multiple ways in which nature, ecosystems, or ecosystems services are important for individuals or social groups [7][8][9].However, the study of values, and other human cognitions, has been poorly addressed by research on social-ecological systems, including for tropical peatlands [8,9].Therefore, the urgency and importance to integrate nature's diverse values in decisions and actions stand out more than ever [10], especially in the space of degradation causes and motivations and processes which can support end goals for restoration.To address this gap, the 'Retaining the Jewels in the Crown: Kalimantan Peat Forest Remnants' Project was established, funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in collaboration between Indonesian and international academic agencies and NGOs.The project aims to assess immediate threats to intact PSF, identify ways to counteract those threats and maintain these key reference ecosystems.An integral component of this project is assessing Dayak community's attitudes and activities which may impact the integrity of the forest edge and intact forest.The objectives of this component are to explore the communities' values and uses of the intact versus degraded forest areas in Dayak villages and to assess how the community protects these different systems.These findings will help shape a targeted ecological and socially relevant conservation strategy for the area.The ACIAR-funded project is partnered with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, BOSF-Mawas program, who supports the Provincial Government of Central Kalimantan and the District Government of Kapuas, Indonesia, in protecting and managing an area of tropical peatlands (Figure 1).The total area covers a 309,000-ha peat dome (a combination of protected and conservation forests under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry).The entire area was once naturally covered by PSF, but now approximately half of the area is heavily degraded.As the former Mega Rice Project (MRP) area, the PSF has been impacted extensively due to degradation.Upon loss of the forest cover, the peat structure and carbon storage capacity change rapidly and profoundly [11].The loss of the forest leads to a loss of biodiversity and local livelihood options [3,4].This project focuses on the Environmental Monitoring Study Area, a landscape which covers approximately 119.522 ha, of which the southern half has been heavily degraded, while the northern half remains covered in intact PSF (Figure1).Given the area is a mix of protected and conservation forests, and is not designated a National Park, the surrounding village communities also have rights of access and sustainable usage of the area.

Focus Group Discussions
To assess community activities which may impact the integrity of the forest edge and intact forest, we conducted Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), one with eleven male and one with eleven female participants, in each of the four villages which are nearest and/or most commonly use the area of study, i.e. the forest edge buffer zone.This method provides a forum for the many views and attitudes of the community to be discussed in an open forum, and to see how these views related and conflicted.It allowed themes to be addressed fully in a friendly semi-formal environment [12].The FGD participants were selected with purposive random sampling based on their relevance to the research, specifically villagers with various livelihoods in the village, including food crops farmers, timber extraction actors, fishermen, gold sluicing miners, rubber tappers/farmers, seedling nursery actors, hunters, collectors of non-timber forest products, people who are familiar with forest access and use, and representatives of village government, customary leaders and community figures.

Gobster's visions of nature.
The values and uses of the forest were explored with the visions of nature [13] which was modified by Graham (2013) [14] to explore local communities' views of their surrounding landscape.This method was chosen as an already successful route to explore the different ways a community related to nature, not just for its economic uses, but how it is seen, how it made them feel, etc.We used open-ended questions to explore the values and uses of their landscape including forests, degraded areas, areas around their villages, waterways, and types of plants and animals that were part of this landscape, to allow wider possible answers outside the Gobster's vision of nature analysis framework.

Gender-based roles and responsibilities timeline.
This participatory tool aimed to explore the differences in men's and women's roles and responsibilities in forest-dependent livelihoods.This tool was used because integrating gender considerations can promote the efficiency and effectiveness of restoration work, and be more equitable to women and men in their involvement [15].Using this tool, we were also able to identify gender-based roles in forest livelihoods and forest protection.

Plural values.
We assessed the plural values with the question "What is important to protect in the forest?Why?"This open-ended question was applied because narrative approaches have been highlighted as suitable for capturing plural values [9,16,17].Furthermore, open-ended prompts allowed respondents to express a diversity of ecosystem-related values and proved sufficiently flexible to communicate values.

Trend analysis.
This tool aimed to explore the uses of PSF, the communities' strategies to protect the forest, how both of these have changed over time.We conducted a participatory activity called trend analysis by Chambers, 1994 [18] which was modified by YTS (2006) as a Community-Led Analysis and Planning tool.

Key informant interviews
We conducted interviews with three selected key informants in each village: village government officers, elders, and customary/religious leaders.The interviews were conducted to allow triangulation and verification of the data and information from the FGDs sessions.

Initial Findings
At the time of writing this paper, the FGDs with 11 male and 11 female villagers and 3 key informant interviews (two male and one female) have been conducted in one village, whose village jurisdiction encompasses both degraded and forested tropical peatlands.The interviewees' ages ranged from 37 to 60 years old, representing the village government officer, elder, and religious leader.Initial learnings showed that the male community describes the landscape mainly through its intrinsic values which are related to life and moral duties to other organisms and ecosystems, such as storing carbon for breathing, to make sure humans, animals, and plants can live sustainably.They also see forests and its surrounding landscape as a source of livelihood options (instrumental values), in which they see the forest in monetary terms or for economic development purposes through PSF-dependent livelihoods.Furthermore, some of them also expressed relational values towards forests and their surrounding landscape.They valued forests as ecological resilience (35%), subsistence (30%), livelihood mental and physical health (30%), and sacred places (5%).Whereas, female communities mostly tended to value the landscape in terms of instrumental values, as they see the forest and its surrounding landscape provide a variety of livelihoods to get income.They perceived the values of the landscape through a more family-oriented perspective, as they manage various livelihood activities to fulfil their daily needs.They also value the forest in terms of intrinsic values, in relation to PSF function in providing good air quality for humans and protecting humans from the natural disaster.There were fewer women who valued the forest in terms of ecological resilience and subsistence livelihoods (relational values).The uses of the degraded forest area were various, especially for livelihoods including timber extraction (galam), fishing, food cropping and smallholder rubber gardens in shallow peat, and nontimber forest products collection (seedlings, honey, purun sedge, ferns, and herbs).9 participants (40%) described how they now also see the landscape in terms of reforestation activities, including nurseries for forest seedlings, given that the village is near the Mawas conservation program area.
There are multiple activities related to each livelihood, some of which are undertaken by the men and some by the women.For instance, in fishing, men undertake the activities which require physical strength and skills such as making the fish traps and clearing the wild plants in the river for fish traps area, while women tend to undertake those activities which require less physical strength such as harvesting and selling the collected fish.In a household context, men and women support one another in running livelihood activities, even though the domestic work is mostly done by women such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and taking care of the children's needs.The communities' forest-dependent livelihoods have changed dramatically over time.One of the significant drivers is Mega Rice Project (MRP) established in 1999.Within the period of 1990-2000, PSF degradation increased significantly as a result of logging and fires reducing forest area.The open access to the canals and lesser availability of forest resources meant the communities had to adapt and diversify their livelihoods with the new environmental conditions.In the latest period (2010-2023), the changes in livelihood trends are also influenced by the availability of markets, job opportunities, and commodity prices such as palm oil, gold, and swiftlet nests.
The communities contribute to forest protection while running their livelihood activities.For example, they play active roles in fire prevention by removing large fuel loads and being involved in fire patrols.They also run various forest restoration measures, such as tatas blocking, nursery, and reforestation efforts.In addition, they maximize customary law enforcement by limiting the extraction of forest products to ensure sustainability, and they use traditional fish traps instead of electricity.

Discussion
The completion of this data collection on communities' values and uses of the tropical PSF will enhance understanding regarding the pressures and motivations for local community members working on these degraded and intact forests in the Mawas area.This study demonstrates that the narrative method is a simple approach for capturing the diversity of environmental values [9,17,19].The results of the study also show that relational values, such as relationships between people and the environment, motivate participation [20].In addition, relational values link and enliven intrinsic and instrumental considerations [21].It is important to note that intrinsic value was the domain most mentioned among the respondents (50%).Within the domain of intrinsic values, the most often mentioned articulated values were life and moral duties to other organisms and ecosystems values embracing concerns for the sustainability of humans, animals, and vegetation.
The gender-segregated data on their roles regarding forest-dependent livelihoods can provide a better understanding of how men and women connect with their landscape, which can be used as a reference for gender-targeted livelihood interventions in restoration and community development projects.Therefore, it is shown that integrating gender considerations can promote the efficiency and effectiveness of restoration work [15].In addition, the data on the trends of forest-dependent livelihoods can help us better understand the communities' strategies in responding to the unexpected PSF changes over time.This will provide valuable lessons and guidance to those working in the space of conservation, restoration, and strengthening the community's resilience.
Males expressed more intrinsic values (50%) which are related to life and moral duties to other organisms and ecosystems, whereas females used more instrumental values (39%) to show their dependency and their concern for the importance of nature in providing a variety of livelihoods to get income for the family.This finding indicates that men have more opportunities to explore the forest and its natural resources due to their physical ability and the livelihood they choose.In addition, the social structure in the communities that associates females with domestic work allows males to have more knowledge of forest ecology, which is reflected in their answers about why the forest is important.
The types of most dominant livelihoods found in this study include fishing, galam and purun collection, and rubber tapping, besides the other seasonal livelihoods.This is in line with the results of another study in the area which mentioned that most of the Dayak communities go to the peatlands for fishing or timber and non-timber products collecting, because they feel they can no longer practice agriculture [5].The communities decided to run forest-related livelihoods that ensure good harmony with nature.They are fully aware that protected forests are forests that can't be overexploited, can't be destroyed, or cut down, but can be planted [22].
The findings from this research are intended to become part of developing a strategic, targeted social and ecologically relevant conservation plan, to support the government's restoration goals.This research could also serve as a model for the assessment of PSF in other areas and raise awareness of the understudied threats facing these forests and potential opportunities for their protection.In addition, incorporating traditional ecological knowledge, and the needs and pressures of local communities' conservation and restoration action planning is relatively new.The Government of Indonesia is undertaking ambitious restoration and conservation goals across its extensive tropical peatlands, including those in Central Kalimantan.These goals also feed into international efforts in climate change and global warming mitigation.It is therefore essential to increase our knowledge and understanding of the needs and pressures of the communities living and working in these landscapes, so that degradation pressures can be addressed and sustainable livelihoods can be explored.It is hoped that the methods presented in this paper, and the subsequent published findings will have direct application across Indonesia to address this gap.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Mawas Area assigned by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (Source: BOSF Mawas 2022)

Table 1 .
Data collected in the FGDs.

Table 2 .
Examples of male and female roles in livelihood activities (♀= female, ♂=male) Note:The more people do it, the bigger the circle