Reconciling Nature and Culture in a Global Context? - Rainforest ...

Sandra Pannellearth’s fauna and flora was subject to increasing scientific scrutinisation in an attempt to mapthe natural parameters of this bio-diverse world. As Katz points out, the redefinition of naturein terms of biodiversity not only set in motion a global program aimed at documenting theearth’s environmental riches but, as evidenced by UNESCO’s Biosphere Programme, it alsowent hand-in-hand with the reemergence of ideas about the preservation and restoration ofnature. What Katz calls the ‘new enclosure movement’ (1998: 47) entails setting aside‘discrete patches of nature’ (loc. cit.) in the form of ‘park enhancement districts’, ‘worldwildlife zones’, ‘biosphere reserves’, and so on. This strategy of ‘bio-accumulation’ and theidea of investing in nature for the future also encouraged new forms of corporateenvironmentalism and the “increasing privatisation of public environments” (Katz 1998: 47).In Indonesia, nation-wide legislation specifically aimed at protecting biodiversity was firstpassed in 1990 28 , while in Komodo National Park, Katz’s observations about the ‘privateproductions of space and the preservation of nature’ have been a reality for the past tenyears.In 1995, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a US-based, transnational, private environmentalorganisation, joined with the Indonesian National Park Authority PHKA 29 to ‘help’ manageKomodo National Park (Michael 2001: 35). TNC is the latest in a long list of internationalNon Government Organisations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),Conservation International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, to be involved inmanagement of the Park since 1980. Promoted as the first example of ‘collaborative parkmanagement’ in Indonesia, TNC’s involvement in Park management is justified by theorganisation in terms of its global mission to “preserve plants, animals and naturalcommunities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the land and watersthey need to survive” (TNC 2002: 1). Through its multi-million dollar portfolio of propertiespurchased around the globe, and underwritten by corporate donations and individualcontributions, TNC operates “the largest private system of nature sanctuaries in the world”(cited in Katz 1998: 59). As Noel Grove observes, “to cut down on management andoverhead costs, [TNC-owned] property was often turned over whenever possible toresponsible federal and state agencies for protection” (cited in Luke 1995: 14). In othersituations, TNC works with partner organisations to establish nature preserves or, as is thecase in Komodo National Park, ‘assists’ in saving “species and biotic communities that stoodin danger of disappearing under human pressures” in existing protected areas (see Luke1995: 14; Katz 1998: 59).While TNC presents its mission as ‘transnational’, conserving the biodiversity of Indonesia forthe “well-being of humankind” (TNC 2002: 1), officials from the Indonesian Department ofAgriculture and Forestry cite a “lack of government funds” and the resulting “no or poor parkmanagement” as the primary reason for this new arrangement. Through the money itreceives from its donors, such as the Packard Foundation and Sekisui Chemical Company,TNC supposedly offers the Government of Indonesia a way out of their financial dilemma,while at the same time ‘assisting’ it with its conservation commitments 30 . In the case ofKomodo National Park, this marriage of private interests, corporate funds and governmentresponsibility is formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding between the parties, and isoperationalised in the name of a “pathbreaking model for saving Indonesia’s national parks”(TNC 2005a), the ‘Komodo Co-Management Initiative’ (KCMI). In 2005, The Nature28 Law No. 5 of 1990 concerning Conservation of Living Resources and their Ecosystems.29 Management of national parks in Indonesia is the responsibility of the Director General for NatureConservation and Forest Protection in the Department of Agriculture and Forestry (DirektoratJenderal Perlindungan Hutan dan Konservasi Alam, Departemen Kehutanan dan Perkebunan).30 As reported in a World Bank publication, in 1996 TNC provided US $250,000 annually and “byincluding ecotourism and other investments, TNC expects to invest US $5 million over the next fiveyears” (Wells et al. 1999: 27).30