INDONESIA, Umbu Langang Village, Sumba Island - June 2008
Freshwater system in support of the protection of 7,414 acres of rainforest and savannah for a minimum duration of 10 years
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Sumba Island is one of a chain of islands in the Lesser Sundas, a dry region of Eastern Indonesia nestled in the Wallacea bioregion where Australian and Asian fauna overlap. Sumba's forest condition has degraded alarmingly from coverage of about 50 percent of the island in 1927 to less than seven percent by 2002. Today, the remaining forest consists of only five fragments that are greater than 6,178 acres each, and all of which are located in Manupeu Tanadaru National Park. This forest contains thick stands of rare sandalwood and is the last remaining habitat for a number of different endemic frog, butterfly and reptile species and is home to eight endemic bird species. A number of villages border the national park, one of them being Umbu Langang, a farming village of approximately 750 people. In the dry season, the nearest fresh water source is located more than a mile from the village. In 2003, the villagers agreed not to expand their farms into the national park and are further willing to commit to protecting approximately 5,931 acres of forest and 1,483 acres of mixed savannah as a no-take area for a minimum of ten years in exchange for a critically needed fresh water system. *
UPDATE January 2009 - The project began in September 2008 and is scheduled to run for about six months.
UPDATE June 2009 - As of May 2009 five water tanks were built and over 2,400 meters of pipe installed. Seventeen water stations (t-pipes) were erected throughout the village, as well as an additional one in Haronja village, and are now in use by a total of 110 households. Protection efforts of the flora and the fauna of the Manupeu Tanadaru National Park region have been going well.
UPDATE August 2009 - As of August 2009 the project was completed and with extra funds remaining Seacology approved a village proposal for a “living kitchen” to grow vegetables.
UPDATE June 2010 - As of June 2010 field representative Arnaz Mehta reports that there are 100 women involved in the "living kitchen" program who are farming small plots of land around their homes adjacent to the fresh water pipes. A quarter of these women are already into their second plantings with new seeds obtained from vegetable sales from their first harvest. The vegetables that have grown well are cauliflower, water spinach, tomatoes and chilies. Additionally, routine patrols are being conducted with the rangers from Manupeu-Tandaru National Park. From the period between mid- 2009 to May 2010 there was one case of someone trapping monkeys, but this conflict has been resolved within the village by members who support the work of the park rangers.
UPDATE January 2011 - The water pipes in the village of Umbu Langang are still in good condition and clean water flows smoothly. Rainfall in the last wet season caused flooding in some streams, which were thick with mud. The existence of the water system allowed them to maintain a constant supply of clean water without having to rely on the river as in the past. The community, especially village officials, meets regularly to discuss various development activities in the village, including the maintenance of the Seacology-supported fresh water system. The pipes are monitored on a weekly basis. For the Living Kitchen project, the village is still getting seeds from Seacology funds, especially for turmeric and green beans. Other types of produce such as tomatoes, chilis, spinach, eggplants and shallots are consumed by the families who grow them and excess is sold to supplement family income. However, green beans, cabbage and string beans have had difficulty because of lack of available seed in the market and high rainfall since June 2010. The protected forest is safe so far; neither shooting of wildlife nor destruction of plants has been reported. Moreover, no more burnings have taken place to clear land for farms as was the case in the past. The villagers understand the importance of the forest and wildlife, and cooperation between the villagers, village government and the staff of the National Park is quite intense and running well.
*Support for asterisked projects is provided fully or in part by: 
