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Indonesia

Kawangkoan

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Conservation benefit: Establishment of a 75-acre permanent no-take forest reserve

Community benefit: Elementary school reconstruction and new school furniture

Date Approved: 07.2005

Forest

This project protects forest, preventing the release of greenhouse gases and reducing erosion that damages coastal and ocean ecosystems.

Kawangkoan is a large village in the Minahasa highlands of North Sulawesi, consisting of 1,206 households. Most people work as farmers or as laborers on coconut plantations.

The village government will create at least 75 acres of permanent no-take rainforest.

Kawangkoan’s elementary school, like many public schools in Indonesia, is severely dilapidated, and the village cannot get funding for renovations. Seacology is funding the rehabilitation of the village elementary school building.

Project Updates

June 2011

The project has come to a successful close.

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June 2010

All book purchases have been finalized and will be distributed after the school holiday at the end of July. The school has also received additional funds from the government because of the village initiative to protect their forest. Additionally, the neighboring village of Kolongan has begun the same initiative to protect its five-hectare forest, with community members donating property on the edge of the forest to increase its size even more. Kawangkoan plans to donate 3,000 seedlings to Kolongan Village to support their campaign to reforest their village.

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November 2009

The community has finalized buying the first set of books and expects to have finished the process by December. The reforestation program is continuing with more tree seedlings being brought in and the campaign program for conservation activities running on a regular basis with all channels of media in the village.

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June 2009

As of April 2009 the forest conservation is still ongoing and the latest activity was another tree planting by the students in an area close to their school. Progress is continuing on finding the remainder of the forest border located in the hills next to the big river. The delivery of books is still postponed. The headmaster suggests delivering the books when the school year starts in June 2009. If delivery problems persist the community has discussed with the village board the possibility of providing reading books for the library because these will last longer and will not affect school curriculum. Recently, because of its Forest Conservation Program, Kawangkoan village was nominated for the Adipura Award in the category of Kecamatan Sehat (Healthy District) in a national event of Indonesia.

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January 2009

As of November 2008 the conservation area mapping process continued after a village boundary challenge surfaced. In spite of the challenge, community tree plantings continued within the previously established boundaries. Seacology is currently waiting for the official final report, due in mid 2009.

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June 2008

As of May 2008 all components of the project were complete with the exception of purchasing the last set of school books.

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December 2007

The project leader was hired by another organization in mid-2007 and was not available at the site for much of that time. He is now back at the village and committed to completing the project with the village. Previous 2007 plans to map the no-take area, complete the sanitation and water system portion of the construction, establish the reserve border, and create a system for collecting forest data in the no-take reserve, are now scheduled to be conducted in early 2008.

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March 2007

Construction to renovate the two school buildings was completed by March 2007 and the village set plans to map the no-take area. The North Sulawesi Governor and Mayor have endorsed the project publicly in conjunction with the Governor’s program to “re-green” North Sulawesi. Plans for mid-2007 include completing the sanitation and water system portion of the construction and establishing the reserve borders and a system for collecting forest data in the no-take area.

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January 2007

A change in village leadership during summer 2006 postponed the project so that the new leaders could have time to review the plans. All documentation was sent to Seacology in November 2006 and the project is scheduled to begin in late 2006 or early 2007.

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January 2006

While discussions about the no-take zone areas were delayed during a new village government election and transition, in early December the village passed a law to protect the rainforest.

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