Keep in Touch

Subscribe to stay up to date on Seacology’s events, trips, and projects.

  • Email Address
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

top-cap-white

Indonesia

Mandalamekar

top-cap-bluetop-cap-white

Conservation benefit: Support of replanting 72 acres and protecting a total of 267 acres of no-take rainforest

Community benefit: Multipurpose community building

Date Approved: 05.2009

Forest

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

Mandalamekar Village, in the highlands of West Java, Indonesia, is home to 3,200 people who are mainly engaged in farming. The village recently created its own protected forest area of four sections totaling 267 acres. The forest has several significant waterfalls and is an important habitat for many kinds of birds. Several monkey species, including the lutung and the endangered Javan surili, also live there.

In 2008, the village took it upon itself to reclaim 74 acres of community land and replanted about 12,000 native tree seedlings. They plan to replant another 72 acres of degraded forest with about 15,000 seedlings in 2009. Because the forest is a critical watershed for the village, the village wants to protect it in perpetuity.

The primary need in Mandalamekar Village is a multipurpose community building for meetings, art, culture, and recreation. The community is keen to make an agreement to protect the no-take forest in exchange for this much-needed facility. Seacology will fund construction of the building. The village government, police, and civil defense force, working with a community group called Mitra Alam Muggaran, will conduct patrols and build a communication system to facilitate the patrols.

Project Updates

June 2011

The community building is now completed. The final report for this project was received in April 2011.

Read more

January 2011

Seacology Program Manager Karen Peterson and Indonesia Field Representative Arnaz Mehta visited the village in October 2010. There was a welcoming ceremony at the building, which is completed except for some plumbing and finish work. The building is being regularly used for meetings, school activities, and badminton. The office in the front of the building is being used by community leaders as well as local environmental group Mitra Alam Munggaran. Conservation work in the community’s forest continues, with tree planting as well as plans for acquiring additional land to protect.

Read more

June 2010

Project contact Irman Meilandi reports that the community multipurpose building is 90% completed, with only painting remaining. The building has been in use since March 2010. Additionally, Mandalamekar Village was chosen by the Tasikmalaya Regency government to receive assistance in replanting. The provincial forestry office of West Java is providing monetary assistance in the amount of 100 million rupiah for forest protection in the village springs of Mandalamekar. Mitra Alam Munggaran will use these funds to finance the maintenance of trees and economic development groups.

Read more

November 2009

Construction is more than half complete, with the foundation and many of the structural elements in place. The second phase of construction will include the installation of remaining structural elements, along with the roof and interior painting and other details. Additionally, a local environmental group, Mitra Alam Munggaran, has been working in the Karang Soak Forest to replant and maintain seedlings on 29 hectacres land. The group has also been engaging local junior high school students in environmental education projects that teach the importance of replanting and responsible forestry stewardship.

Read more

August 2009

Project contact Irman Meilandi reports that the materials for the building have been delivered to the village and construction has begun.

Read more
- +
top-cap-bluetop-cap-white