Partnerships that Co-create Solutions in Borneo

We often hear from our politicians that we can’t afford to take care of the forests and the health of people, that our “economy” can’t bear it.  And that is probably true from a certain worldview.  But what if there was a way to bolster a local economy while taking care of forests and the health of the local residents? 

The people, forests and wildlife of Borneo have been suffering much loss in recent years.   Health in Harmony which was founded in 2005 by Dr. Kinari Webb to support combined human and environmental work has been engaged in “Radical Listening” to the people in one area of Borneo.  Health in Harmony learned from 400 hours of listening, to the people in 40 communities that logging old growth trees was being done to pay for healthcare.  The people don’t want to cut down these trees but have no other economic option.  The communities identified that what they need is access to health care and alternative sources of income.

Health in Harmony has partnered with Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI), an Indonesian sister organization that is located in Borneo.  Both of these organizations are predominantly women-led.  And then this partnership has partnered with TreeSisters.

imagecredit:  Chelsea Call

The current reforestation project is going ahead despite the restrictions of the pandemic.  The plan is to set up the former loggers to grow tree saplings.  These saplings can then be sold or bartered for health care and TreeSisters will pay the Health care providers for the saplings and for people to plant the trees.  This provides an alternate source of income and the much needed health care.

The planting will reforest 68 hectares of peat swamp forest in Gunung Palung National Park.  The peat is a carbon sink which is highly flammable.  Fires have been ravaging the deforested area over recent years.  However, a new forest will provide a barrier for fire and a buffer from flooding.  It is estimated that the trees will be large enough for a full canopy within 3 to 5 years and will provide habitat for the endangered Orangutan and thousands of other species.  Ninety per cent of the trees will be for reforestation and ten per cent will be for trees that can be harvested for fruit, nuts and medicine.

imagecredit:  Oka Nurlaila

And so, this project takes care of the local people who will take care of the forest, it provides an alternate source of income, it provides habitat for wildlife and a diversity of plants as well as reducing carbon in the environment. 

The TreeSister website reads, “Health In Harmony shares TreeSisters values. All of their projects are rooted in their guiding principles; all life on Earth is precious, diversity is a strength, and by working together we can find solutions to the crises that face our planet.” 

You can read more about this exciting project on the Tree Sisters website and contribute to it as well.  If we support these kind of innovative projects, they will inspire other communities to do the same and the solutions will build on each other and spread.  The benefits will be both local and global as carbon is sequestered.  This could be our new story.