Traditional ecological knowledge on shifting cultivation and forest management in East Borneo, Indonesia

Forest utilization of indigenous communities is intimately connected to experiences and knowledge arising from the interaction between people and their environment. The traditional ecological knowledge of the Dayak Tunjung communities in East Borneo offers an interesting example of the interrelation between agricultural food production, forest management and local culture. This study describes how the local villagers manage their rice cultivation system combined with forest succession based on traditional ecological knowledge. Data were obtained through direct participatory techniques by interviewing key informants about their practices and perception as well as field observations on farming activities and forest management. Traditional ecological knowledge on food production and forest management has evolved over many generations but is degrading rapidly. The Dayak people base their practices on a shifting cultivation system of rice intercropped with other foods, while at the same time maintaining forest succession after abandonment. Traditional knowledge relates to ecological reasons for different shifting cultivation stages, selection of suitable cultivation plots, soil classification and culturally embedded ‘signs of nature’ – which signs to look out for during which month of the year and which activities to undertake. Throughout Indonesia, traditional ecological knowledge can prove to be instrumental for future forest resource and conservation management.EDITED BY Leni Camacho