Poverty is a persistent problem throughout Indonesia. With decentralization, local governments had a new direct role in alleviating poverty and local wellbeing. At the same time they could do so in accordance with local realities and development needs. Yet, there is little improvement in the wellbeing of rural people. Local governments may lack the necessary capacity and experience to reduce poverty effectively. This report shows how a local specific monitoring system can be developed and applied.

Penerbitan buku ini dimaksudkan sebagai bahan refleksi tentang kondisi zonasi Taman Nasional (TN) pada saat ini. Penerbitan buku ini diharapkan juga dapat memberi sumbangan pada wacana yang masih terus bergulir tentang zonasi TN, terutama zona khusus, sehingga membantu mencapai mimpi keseimbangan antara pelestarian alam dan peningkatan kesejahteraan masyarakat.

CIFOR facilitated 27 communities in the Upper Malinau watershed to develop agreements about their village boundaries and map them through participatory methods. Decentralization reforms created new values of forest resources and uncertainties that increased conflict over local resources. We report on the nature of these conflicts, the stability of agreements and the factors affecting how agreements were reached.

This subchapter examines the NWFP trends in the area designated as the Bulungan Research Forest, which has been allocated by the Indonesian government to CIFOR for research purposes. The research forest covers 303 000 hectares in Bulungan district, East Kalimantan, between the Malinau and Bahau rivers, adjacent to the Kayan-Mentarang National Park. The NWFPs discussed include animals and birds, camphor, gaharu, gutta percha, illipe nuts, damar and rattan. The article also raises questions about how these trends and scenarios will unfold in the future in areas such as Bulungan.