Building awareness of threatened species to ensure wildlife conservation in Bantaeng, Indonesia
 |
| Sulawesi Bear Cuscus captured by cocoa farmer in Bantaeng. |
In Bantaeng Regency on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, the Rainforest Alliance is training cocoa farmers to adhere to best management practices for agriculture as encoded in the principles of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). One notable project success to date is an increased environmental awareness among the more than 750 farmer participants.
Awareness and recognition of threatened species is critical to compliance with the SAN Standard, which ensures that farms serve as refuges for resident and migratory wildlife, especially species that are threatened or endangered. Farmers are required to maintain an inventory of wildlife kept on farm, prohibit the hunting and capturing of wild animals, and ensure that endangered or threatened species are not held in captivity.
One of the biggest challenges with ensuring farmer compliance with these wildlife protection criteria has been that farmers and their families have limited awareness of which animals in their local ecosystem are at risk of extinction. A series of community mapping workshops has helped farmers to establish farm boundaries and identify local wildlife.
During the community mapping workshop, the project team reviewed pictures of endemic species. These include Strigocuscus celebensis or the Sulawesi Dwarf Cuscus, and Ailurops ursinus or the Sulawesi Bear Cuscus. Both are indicated as Vulnerable species on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, and are considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, with decreasing population trends.1
 |
| Lead Farmer Trainer Muadz Ardin releasing a Sulawesi Bear Cuscus |
Much to the surprise of the project team, several farmers recognized and indicated that they see both types of cuscus on their farms. The project team did not expect these species to be present in Bantaeng, but more significantly, the farmers were unaware that the cuscus are endemic to Sulawesi, that they are facing a risk of extinction and are protected by law.
At an additional workshop, the project team conducted the same activity of showing pictures of threated species. One of the participants immediately recognized the Sulawesi Dwarf Cuscus and told the group that his children had captured one on his farm just the day before. The farmer promptly went home to retrieve the cuscus.
The Rainforest Alliance team explained to all the participants that the cuscus is protected by law, and in order for farms to become Rainforest Alliance Certified, the cuscus cannot be hunted or captured. Muadz Ardin, one of the lead farmer trainers working on the project, released the cuscus on the farm of a lead farmer. Farmers will undergo a specific training module on wildlife conservation which will reinforce the importance of protecting the cuscus species.
Awareness of endemic species is part of a broader paradigm shift that is happening with farmers participating in the project, best expressed by Pak Burhani, a 35-year-old cocoa farmer and leader of the Palaguna group: “Many things are changing since the Rainforest Alliance project began. Not only are we learning better farming techniques, we are starting to learn to take care of our environment. We are inspired to reduce our use of agrochemicals on our farms, and trying to have green farms and live side by side with nature. When I was a kid, trees blocked the view of the sea from our home in the mountains. But now, because the forests have been clear cut to make way for farmland, we can see the ocean clearly. Thanks to the trainings provided by Rainforest Alliance, we are starting to understand that there are other considerations. We must think of nature and of future generations, not just our present needs, before cutting down trees.”
[1] IUCN Red List http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/20890/0 and http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/40637/0
