INDONESIA, Cunca Lolos Village, Flores Island - May 2009
Village fresh water system in exchange for support of 12,355 acres of no-take forest
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Cunca Lolos Village was recently established in 2001 as a farming settlement and is comprised of a small population of just 152 people in 38 households. Cunca Lolos is one of 27 villages located around the 63,738-acre Mbeliling Forest. A public works fresh water project for the village took place in 2006, but unfortunately the source of water was sulfuric and not suitable for consumption. However, the pipes from this project are still intact and the water is used for irrigation, and for washing hands and feet after working in the fields. Currently, water for cooking and drinking must be hand-carried from a river located more than one half mile away from the village, which takes about 45 minute round-trip by foot. The villagers must first cross the busy Trans-Flores highway in order to get to and from the river, which is of considerable risk to the children who collect water for their families. Seacology will fund a village fresh water system in support of 12,355 acres of forest as a strict no-take zone for a minimum of 10 years. The villagers have identified an abundant and clean spring located just over a mile from the village within Mbeliling Forest. Since 2007, the villagers have played a major role in monitoring the condition of the forest and in planting trees around the water spring. Birdlife Indonesia is currently drafting a Nature Protection agreement with the involvement of all 27 villages around the Mbeliling Forest in their local dialect that will encompass rules and sanctions of the protected forest. *
UPDATE November 2009 - As of November 2009 field representative Arnaz Mehta reports that the community is still waiting for an order of specialized pipe to be imported from Surabaya. The pipe is not sold in Labuan Bajo or in the nearest town of Shikara because it is very rarely used by the public as it is relatively expensive and high quality. According to the supplier in Labuan Bajo, all the pipes should arrive this month. As well as ordering the pipe, the community has purchased rebar, sand and cement for the manufacture of the water tanks. As soon as the pipes arrive the focus of work will be on building the concrete water tanks and installing the pipeline. Conservation efforts continue to be encouraged in the form of a village tree farm and regular patrol of the forest. The village tree farm is located outside of the protected area and is focused on multi-use trees that can be used for the construction of houses for food, such as durian trees. This is in anticipation of the villagers not being able to use trees in the protected area for at least 10 years. The village has planted 800 clove tree saplings, 2,500 mahogany saplings and 5,000 seedlings of other local plants.
UPDATE December 2009 - As of December 2009 all materials, including the pipe, have been delivered to the village. Construction of the water tanks will begin by the end of the year.
UPDATE June 2010 - As of June 2010 Arnaz reports that the infrastructure was completed and handed over on February 13, 2010 to the Cunca Lolos community. The village has also planted the following trees in the village tree farm area: 4,437 mahogany seedlings; 130 Saingon seedlings; 387 Ampupu seedlings and 68 Waru seedlings. Cash crop seedlings, such as durian, citrus, sweet potato, jackfruit, mango and betel nut, were also planted.
UPDATE January 2011 - This project was completed in February 2010. The infrastructure was handed over on February 13, 2010 to the Cunca Lolos community. Seacology Field Representative Arnaz Mehta and Program Manager Karen Peterson visited the project in October 2010. In December 2010, the villagers, along with those from Benteng Dewa, planted 20,000 native trees within the Mbeliling Forest in areas that had been critically damaged by mudslides.
*Support for asterisked projects is provided fully or in part by: 
