The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

G1.5. Description of Project Zone CommunitiesG1.5. A description of communities located in the project zone,including basic socio-­‐economic and cultural information that describesthe social, economic and cultural diversity within communities (wealth,gender, age, ethnicity etc.), identifies specific groups such as IndigenousPeoples and describes any community characteristics.In December 2008, a socioeconomic and cultural survey wasconducted by Daemeter Consulting to identify and describecommunities present in and near the Rimba Raya Project Area.MethodologyThe methodology used for collecting data included individualinterview and small group discussion. The village head, deputyvillage head, village secretary, Chairman of BPD (BadanPerwakilan Desa, Village Representative Body), informal leaders,elders, youth, and women leaders represented the targetcontacts, as these individuals and groups have the greatestaccess to village-­‐specific information. In some cases, members ofthese groups were interviewed individually, allowing for therepetition of certain questions to gauge consistency acrossinterviewees. In other cases, the small group format facilitateddiscussions, allowing for the collaborative elaboration andrefinement of information as it pertained to a specific village.The interviews addressed topics as described in the CCBStandards with the goal of collecting relevant data andinformation, but they were otherwise unstructured, emphasizingtopics of interested to interviewees.OverviewFourteen villages (desa) were identified, from Pembuang Hulu(north of the Project Area) down to Kuala Pembuang, the capitalof Seruyan District (southeast of the Project Area).Administratively, these 14 villages fall under the same district(Kabupaten Seruyan), but three different subdistricts(kecamatan). The villages and their subdistricts are: Bahaur,Paring Raya, Parang Batang, and Tanjung Hanau located in HanauSubdistrict; Banua Usang, Paren, Ulak Batu, Palingkau, CempakaBaru, and Telaga Pulang located in Danau Sembuluh Subdistrict;and Baung, Jahitan, Muara Dua and Tanjung Rengas located inSeruyan Hilir Subdistrict. Of these villages, only Paring Raya wasnot visited as it is a recent extension of Bahaur and presumablycomprises similar communities. Another three settlements(Batuwirang, Kendurian, and Segintong Luar) were identifiedafter the survey was completed. These are assumed to beseparate villages from those visited and will be surveyed as partof the Phase II Community Assessment. Table 5 providespopulation data for the villages visited.Most community members residing in the 14 villages surveyed,rely on the Seruyan River for their basic needs, cash income, andtransportation. Before the 1990s, forests provided for thecommunities’ basic needs and cash income. Villagers clearedforests to make their ladang and plant rice and rubber. They alsologged the forests and sold logs to markets in Baung, TelagaPulang, and Segintong Luar. However, after the operations ofHutan Lestari, conducted by the Ministry of Forestry in the late1990s to control illegal activities within state forests, loggingbecame the least favored livelihood option for villagers. Therewere (and still are) some illegal logging cases resulting in elitevillage officials or their family members being jailed.30