CCM - Culture Contact Management



proper protection, development and adaptation of local customs and beliefs so the people and their culture can keep their local identity while flourishing in a changing environment



THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION



The lack of professional and personal opportunities for both the older and younger generations in the rural forest areas means that the forests are their primary source of revenue.


This leads to 3 possible scenarios:

1) Selling forests to palm oil companies or other developers

2) Turning primary and secondary forests into productive forests, plantations, rice paddies

3) Urban migration to the capital or possibly a second major city in the region


Urban migration is largely composed of members of the new generation. The old generation is left with the possibility of continuing agriculture. Without the help of the new generation, the intensive labor involved and the low revenues generated, selling the forests to palm oil companies or other developers becomes a very interesting and easy alternative.


Members of the new generation upon migrating to the cities then consider 3 possible development trajectories:

1) return home to seek a nonagricultural job, usually become low-level workers (preferred outcome)

2) settle in cities, usually low-level workers or small business owners (slightly less preferred)

3) return home to farm (by far the least preferred outcome)


Members of the new generation still have ties to their ancestral home (parental, cultural, emotional, memories) and thus the forest, but have a strong desire to do non-farm work so returning home to seek a nonagricultural job is the most important planned trajectory.


On one hand, if the new generation must resort to returning home and farm, they are likely to support the choice of selling the forests.


On the other hand, if the new generation decides to settle in the cities, their children (future generation) will have no personal and less cultural ties with the ancestral home or forests, further inclining the old generation to sell the forests. If the old generation does not sell, then most likely the future generation will because it will consider the forests as just a commodity not as an essential part of their heritage.



premises to a solution



1. The old and new generation would prefer to not develop the forests: “The Dayak cannot live without the forests.”


2. Conservation of the forests will be more effective if members of local tribes (new generation) who have attachments to the forests eventually settle in their home region, thus passing along these attachments to the future generations.


3. The forests, either by developing or selling it, represents a source of possible income revenue. Members of the villages must be financially incentivized to keep the forest intact.


4. The new generation seeks a non-traditional lifestyle, so the region must be able to offer the perks of living in a city in terms of professional opportunities, education, leisure and entertainment. This will also strengthen the belief that their home region is an acceptable place to raise their children (future generations).


5. Develop a culture of learning instead of a consumer market.



LOCAL TRADITIONAL CUSTOMS



Community living


Some Dayak people once lived mostly in massive communal structures known as longhouses. These could be up to 12 metres high and house over 100 families under one roof, affording safety from attacks during times of warfare. Inside, families lived in separate apartments arranged along a central corridor, which served as a communal area. While some groups still live in longhouses, many have moved into individual houses – either because of government pressure or because inter-tribal warfare has stopped.


Managing natural resources – traditional knowledge


For centuries, the Dayak indigenous people of Borneo have managed the forests in sustainable ways. Their practices, supported by customary regulations and traditional knowledge, have contributed to the maintenance and preservation of the rich and extraordinary biodiversity of Borneo.


Communities living in more rural parts of Borneo are still largely regulated by customary law or adat which govern their daily affairs and management of natural resources within their customary territory. Dayak communities have long used zoning as a land management tool, where the forest territory of each village or settlement is divided into areas for non-timber forest product (NTFP) collection, hunting, agriculture (rice paddies and swiddens), gardens, old settlements and sacred sites.


Managing natural resources – Dayak customary regulations


Local regulations specify the rates and means of collection of forest resources that stress sustainability and minimise stress to the environment.

For example, there is emphasis on not wasting animals or forest products by collecting more than needed or harvesting them in ways that would hamper their future reproduction or growth.

All Dayak communities ban the use of chemicals and sophisticated technology for catching fish and only traditional tools like nets, rods and fish traps may be used.

All customary regulations state that trees at the headwaters of rivers may not be cut and recommend that salt springs in the forest and common hunting grounds not be damaged.



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