Sugar Palm Project in West Kalimantan

With financial support from the Sirtema Foundation, Masarang was able to give five thousand high quality sugar palms to the Dayak in West Kalimantan, including training on the possibilities of the tree and its tapping.

Willie has already written about it in previous blogs: he is working in West Kalimantan, where Masarang has launched a pilot project in order to help the Dayak preserve their forest and replant the already destroyed forests. They get 5000 highly productive sugar palms, with which they can be self-sufficient and also protect the forest and the animals. In return we ask of the Dayak, a letter signed by their chief, saying they own land. If necessary, this may serve as evidence in order to prevent their land being taken away by the devastating oil palm industry.

In Borneo, huge amounts of primary rainforest are cut by oil palm companies. This forest stands on peat soil, which provides extra CO2 emissions when deforested, so the greenhouse effect will further expand. The habitat of endangered animals, like the orangutan is further affected by the day, biodiversity is destroyed.
Land of local Dayak, on which they already live for many generations and in fact is theirs, is taken from them. Dayak are threatened and put in prison by corrupt governments, activists are murdered. The Dayak traditionally live of the forest, but they are marginalized which leads to unemployment, poverty, lack of education and social problems.
The rivers and groundwater are poisoned with pesticides, price of water has risen sharply. The frequent use of fertilizer by oil palm companies leads to acidification of oceans and coral death.

In order to act against this the Dayak must be helped and the forest must be protected. Thanks to the Sirtema Foundation Masarang can play a role in this. You can read Willie's blogs when you want to know more about this project.

On the picture you see Masarang expert Ir. Harry Kaunang giving an introduction on sugar palms to the Dayak in the village of Tertung.

Date: 2012-02-13 13:44:14.0