Betung Kerihun

The Betung Kerihun Nature Reserve was established by the Ministry of Forestry on 11 February 1992 through a Ministrial Decree. It is the largest conservation area in the province of West Kalimantan and covers a total area of 800,000ha. The reserve consists of several types of ecosystems, including lowland forests, wet hill forests, montane forests, and moss forests. The elevation of the area ranges between 300-1.960m above sea level. The diversity of fauna in the area is very high, including a relatively healthy population of orang-utan, honey bear, white-fronted monkey, and gibbons.

Following up the cooperative programme initiated in 1973 between the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia - which recognized the conservation values of the Betung Kerihun and Lanjak Entimau reserves, the governments of Japan and Switzerland provided a grant through the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) for establishing a transfrontier reserve. The ITTO assistance for the Sarawak Reserve commenced in 1992, meanwhile its support for Betung Kerihun started in 1994. This followed the signing of the Agreement between the Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia and ITTO for the implementation of a project entitled "Development of Betung Kerihun Nature Reserve as a National Park (Phase 1)". The main purpose of the project in its first phase is to produce a management plan for Betung Kerihun Nature Reserve aimed at the sustainable management of the reserve as a National Park. Meanwhile the secondary aim is developing guidelines for sustainable development in the area based on conservation through a community participatory approach.

One of the most tangible results of the project is the implementation of the ITTO Borneo Biodiversity Expedition (IBBE) in 1997. This joint expedition become a new milestone in the cross border cooperation between Sarawak and the West Kalimantan province in the natural biodiversity area, which also acts as a new stepping stone in an international forestry cooperation. At least two major aspects to follow-up from the expedition were identified:

• the direct contribution from the biological diversity during the expedition towards sustainable forest management - both for timber and non-timber products - and the understanding of forest's functions for human life.
• The direct contribution from the biological diversity found during the expedition towards the adjustment of area development with regards of the local communities living surrounding the area.

The MoU signed between the Ministry of Forestry, ITTO and WWF in September 2001 marked the start of the second phase of the project entitled "The Implementation of Community Based Transboundary Management Plan for the BKNP Phase II". This phase was initially planned to end in October 2004, but with regards to several activities that have not been completed yet due to technical constraints, the Project Steering Committee Meeting decided to extend it to April 2005 with no cost extension.

The main objectives of the Phase II are:

• determining the base for the integrated Community Based Conservation and BKNP Development Plan in the long term
• developing an effective system in the Management of the Cross Border Conservation Area: Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary (LEWS) and Batang Ai NP, Sarawak, Malaysia

The objectives will be achieved through the program's strategies, among others:

• developing the buffer zones through strengthening cooperation between relevant stakeholders and entrepreneurship development
• developing ecotourism potentials
• developing database and information system in supporting the area's management
• increasing awareness campaigns for general public to support the area's management
• developing a cooperation system between the two areas (BKNP and LEWS)