POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROJECTS ON PEATLAND IN INDONESIA

Transcription

1 POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROJECTS ON PEATLAND IN INDONESIA Yus Rusila Noor, Iwan Tri Cahyo Wibisono and I Nyoman Suryadiputra Wetlands International Indonesia Programme Contact noor@wetlands.or.id SUMMARY Wetlands International aims to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through its Wetlands and Poverty Reduction Project (WPRP). The project aims to act as a catalyst to promote the integration of sustainable wetland management into poverty reduction strategies by influencing local, national and international policies and practice. In Indonesia, the focus of this three-year project will be on-the-ground poverty alleviation activities in the communities living in peatland areas of Jambi and South Sumatra. The project will take a two pronged approach, focusing both on i) diversification and enhancement of income generation alternatives for women and men in the target communities through a program of small grants, complimented by activities to rehabilitate or protect peatlands, and ii) increasing collaboration between local communities and authorities responsible for management of natural resources at the field level. These focal areas will be complemented by awareness raising activities and provision of input to policy development, especially as it relates to the critical areas of Berbak and Sembilang National Parks. INTRODUCTION The Poverty Alleviation Projects on Peatlands in Indonesia focuses on communities in the mainly peatland areas of the buffer zones of Berbak National Park, Jambi and the contiguous Sembilang National Park, South Sumatra, Indonesia. In these areas the livelihoods and well-being of local communities are strongly linked to the condition of the peatlands. Conservation, rehabilitation and community involvement in the management of these peatlands is therefore critical to poverty alleviation. The project is based on close collaboration between Wetlands International Indonesia Programme (WI-IP) and Bina Swadaya, an Indonesian non-governmental organization focusing on poverty alleviation and community involvement. The two organizations will be complemented at the local level by long-time WI-IP partners, Wahana Bumi Hijau (WBH) Foundation and Pinang Sebatang (Pinse) Foundation. Goal and Objectives The goal of the project is to improve the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable communities in the Berbak - Sembilang area through the wise use of wetlands. The project s objectives are: 1. To enhance and diversify income generating alternatives for women and men in the target communities; 2. To promote and support increased involvement of women and men in local communities in the management of Berbak National Park and its buffer zone and the MKPSF; 3. To raise awareness of key stakeholders on the need to enhance community involvement in peatlands management and the importance of appropriate, riverbasin level hydrological management, and to provide input into policy making processes;

2 PROJECT BACKGROUND Overview of Berbak-Sembilang Area Peatlands in South-East Asia have typically developed over the past 5,000 to 10,000 years and usually range in depth from one to eight metres. They are comprised of accumulated organic material, which in some areas has formed domes. Peat domes act as natural reservoirs whose only source of water is rain. In their natural state tropical peatlands are permanently wet. Because peat is formed from organic material, when it dries out it becomes highly vulnerable to fire, which can burn both above and below ground. 104 o East Tanjung Jabung District 1 Jabung cape 2 3 Nipah panjang Sub-District Rantau Rasau Sub-District Sadu Sub- District Indian Ocean 104 o Sumatra South China km SOUTH CHINA SEA 1 o 30 1 o 30 Muaro Jambi District Kumpeh Sub-District Jambi Province 104 o South of Sumatra Province LEGEND Berbak National Park Boundary of Province Boundary of Sub-District 104 o N Boundary of District Figure 1 Map of Project Areas. Village sites are mentioned by rounded numbers In the Berbak-Sembilang area the forested peatlands provide a number of critical environmental services, including: regulation of hydrology (flood control, water storage,

3 protecting against salt water intrusion), water for domestic and agricultural use, non-timber forest products for both consumption and sale, moderation of the local climate and biodiversity, among many others. Berbak National Park is located on the east coast of Sumatra, commencing approximately 10 km inland from the Berhala Strait, and extending down the coast to Sungai Benu. Berbak National Park forms part of the vast alluvial plain of East Sumatra, which occupies approximately one quarter of the island, and is one of Indonesia's largest swamp forest reserves. The reserve includes several important sites for waterbirds, the most prominent of which is a sandy beach near the mouth of the river Cemara. Berbak is of special value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of the coastal lowlands of Sumatra. The National Park constitutes a diversified gene pool of plants and animals and includes species of pharmacological and horticultural potential. The total number of plant species in Berbak is at least 260. Palm species number 23, making it the most palmrich peat swamp forest yet known (Dransfield 1974). It also has a rich avifauna. Records demonstrate the occurrence of at least 250 species of birds from 49 families (22 species are migratory waders). The reserve is ecologically diverse with extensive and mostly undisturbed peat swamp forest, large expanses of freshwater swamp (+/- 60,000 ha) and some 1,500 hectares of (degraded) mangrove forest. Berbak National Park constitutes a watershed area benefiting local farming practices. The watershed function of the forests of Berbak is ecologically important (Hamilton & Snedaker, 1984), for the condition and viability of the mangroves and by extension, the shrimping/fishing community. Tropical forests influence climatological factors (micro and macro); their removal leading to drier conditions. This phenomenon has already become manifest in Berbak after some 3,500 ha of forest burnt down (Verheugt, pers comm). Obviously, further destruction of the forests will have a detrimental impact on the local community's agriculture which has suffered already from the droughts in 1981 and 1982 (Silvius et al., 1984). Local benefits come from collection from the forests of fruits, rattans and plants that are valued for their horticultural and pharmacological properties. Also latex, nibung, fuelwood, construction wood, and timber are extracted from the forests. River fisheries are of local significance. Shrimp fisheries are of high economic importance at a national and international level (export to Singapore and Japan) whereas other forms of coastal fisheries are of local and regional importance (Silvius et al., 1984).

4 Figure 2 Map of Berbak and Sembilang National Parks, and Merang-Kepahiyang Peat Swamp Forest Since the early 1980s the Berbak NP has been affected by fires, firstly on the edges of the transmigration sites and land conversion areas but, in 1992, for the first time a substantial area of forest was destroyed inside the virgin peat swamp forest. This was followed in 1997 and 1998 by many other fires inside Berbak and Sembilang. In 1997/98 and 2002 large fires raged also outside of the park in the concession areas. The fires are thought to have resulted from uncontrolled camp fires or other careless use of fire by loggers, jelutung (latex) or fish poachers. The occurrence of fires in the primary forest has raised the question of how far the presumed primary peat swamp forest may have actually been affected by hydrological changes in the greater ecosystem of e.g. the catchment of the Air Hitam Laut River. The Sembilang National Park is located in the eastern coast of South Sumatra, between the Banyuasin, Merang and Benu rivers, forming part of the vast coastal swamp lands of eastern Sumatra. It covers more than hectares of coastal area, mainly comprising of mangrove, freshwater and peat swamp forests and forms a natural corridor to the Berbak National Park. The Park is among the most complex, diverse and biologically productive swamp ecosystem in the tropics (Danielsen & Verheugt, 1990). The extensive deterioration of the Southeast Asian swamp forest formations have left the Sembilang area as one of the very last examples where extensive mangrove and freshwater/peat swamp forest occur in a relatively good transition. This underlines the importance of the area as a gene pool for a number of internationally endangered species.

5 In between the greater Berbak Sembilang ecosystem lies the Merang Kepahyang peat swamp forest (MKPSF), which plays an important role as corridor for wildlife migration between the two parks and as provider of a substantial part of the freshwater supply to both parks. It lies adjacent to the Sembilang area and is the buffer zone of the Sembilang National Park. Administratively, the Merang-Kepahyang peat swamp is within the Musi Banyuasin District, South Sumatra Province. About 20 rivers drain the peat swamp forest into the Sembilang National Park. Currently this area is suffering from illegal logging and the construction of canals, which are used to transport the timber out of the forests. The canals drain the peat swamp forest and substantially increase the fire hazard during the dry season. Therefore protection of this buffer zone and corridor area is considered to be crucial to the sustainability of both National Parks. The local Government of Musi Banyuasin District agreed in February 2004 to establish the peatlands as a protected forest area to be managed with and for the benefit of local communities. The proposed activities will relate to establishing the community based management and protection options as well as exploring opportunities for livelihood activities. The Berbak-Sembilang area is surrounded by villages, transmigration settlements and logging concessions. Along the park boundaries, large parts of the peat swamp forests have been drained and are the target of uncontrolled logging activities. The main stakeholders in the area are the local farming and fishing communities in the buffer zones of the parks. Institutional stakeholders who have legislative responsibilities over the management and protection of the area are the local National Parks Authority (under the Ministry of Forestry), the Provincial Planning Agencies (BAPPEDA), Provincial Forestry Department, Fisheries Department and the Agriculture Department, as well as the Heads of Districts and sub-districts (Bupati and Camat). Other stakeholders include the local logging concessionaires, and illegal logging interests. Overview of Livelihoods Context Many poor and vulnerable peat-dependent communities are living in the Berbak - Sembilang area. The challenges and opportunities facing these communities flow from a range of ecological, socio-economic, market and other forces, many of which are beyond the direct control of the communities. An understanding of this context highlights the interaction between the micro, meso and macro environments and the importance of ensuring that any initiative focusing on poverty reduction makes links between these different levels. Vulnerability context The vulnerability context considers the external environment within which individuals and communities live, and over which they have very limited control. In the Berbak-Sembilang area this is shaped often by interrelated environmental and socio-economic factors. Periodic floods and droughts are a regular part of the seasonal cycle for communities in the project area. There are strong signs, however, that these natural shocks are being exacerbated by human activities such as illegal logging and land conversion for plantations and agriculture. As explained above, the hydrology of forested peatland ecosystems is highly sensitive to both localized and up-stream disturbances. For this reason, efforts to mitigate peatland degradation and the associated loss of critical environmental services, have to focus not only on the local situation, but also must engage at the broader spatial and policy levels. These events of the last decade mark a radical shift in the vulnerability of peat swamp forests, which do not burn under natural conditions. The very real danger is that fire in the peat swamp forests will cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem, which will have radical effects on down stream communities, even those at a great distance from the burnt area. Once peat has been lost, it will not return, and if the damage is severe

6 enough, the natural forest will not rejuvenate. This will result in the loss of the environmental services mentioned above, with associated negative impacts on local community livelihoods. Illegal logging is widespread in both Berbak National Park and the MKPSF, which lies in the buffer zone of Sembilang National Park. This logging contributes to the degradation of the peat and forest through a complex array of interactions. Felling of trees changes the local conditions and forest cover, while at the same time leaving dry fuel for fires. Additionally, in some areas loggers dig ditches through the forest in the peat in order to facilitate removal of the logs. This is especially prevalent in the MKPSF, where recent studies identified more than 100 of these ditches. The ditches drain the peat, leaving it more vulnerable to fire. With the physical conditions modified in ways that predispose the area to fire, the presence of the loggers, with cigarettes and cooking fires, greatly increases the risk of fire. Land conversion in the upper watersheds of the Air Hitam Laut and Merang Rivers (which run respectively through Berbak National Park and the MKPSF) poses a high threat to the target areas and population. As part of a comprehensive study recently completed by Wetlands International and various research institutions from the Netherlands, a hydrological model was used to determine the impacts of the very real possibility of expansion of oil palm plantations in the upstream area of the Air Hitam Laut river basin. The study concluded that the consequences for the coastal agricultural areas will be a severely reduced water discharge by the river in those (dry) periods when it is most needed for agricultural production (Silvius, 2005). Expansion of oil palm plantations upstream will thus significantly impact on agricultural production in the downstream area (Silvius, 2005). Livelihood Assets Livelihood assets (or capital) are the main building blocks upon which peoples livelihoods are built. This section is intended to provide a general snapshot of the livelihood assets of the target population to assist in identifying opportunities for strengthening those assets in order to enhance livelihood options, thus reducing poverty. As WI-IP and its partners will not be able to build on all the opportunities and address each gap under the project, this snapshot will also help identify areas for close collaboration with other organizations and institutions. Physical capital. The target communities are generally quite remote, with some only being accessible by water. Roads, where they exist, are usually of very poor quality and impassable at certain times of the year. This isolation creates very specific challenges, and the physical capital of the communities tends to be low. For example, in Air Hitam Laut village there is no market. Lack of potable water is frequently cited as one of the main problems facing community members. Electricity is only available for a few hours each day. Human capital. Education levels tend to be low in the target communities. There is difficulty accessing up-to-date information about agricultural techniques, and government extension services rarely reach the communities. As a result, people s farming skills tend to be basic, and there is little knowledge of new developments and alternative techniques. Financial Capital. In a number of consultation meetings in the target and other similar communities, a lack of financial resources was cited as one of the biggest obstacles to developing income generating activities. The lack of options available to the population has a number of negative effects, including, among others, out-migration, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, people entering into a cycle of debt, for

7 which it is difficult to extricate themselves and involvement in the dangerous work of illegal logging, at the mercy of often unscrupulous logging bosses (cukong). Natural Capital. Historically the Berbak-Sembilang area has been well endowed with natural resources that provided a number of benefits for local communities. For the mainly small-scale agriculture and fisheries dependent people in the area, the degradation of these natural resources over recent decades as a result of forces such as uncontrolled logging, over fishing and land conversion, has severely eroded people s natural capital. With increasing risk of fire and the trend towards even more severe degradation of the peatland ecosystem this erosion of natural capital is likely to continue. Previous and On-Going Initiatives in the Area This project will build on the experience and lessons learned of previous and on-going projects in the area, including: Climate Change, Forests and Peatlands in Indonesia Project ( ) The CCFPI project is a carbon sequestration initiative that was implemented by WI- IP, Wildlife Habitat Canada and Global Environment Centre in cooperation with PINSE and WBH Foundations, with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Working with local partner organizations, the project was designed to promote the sustainable management of forest and peatlands in Indonesia in order to increase their capacity to sequester and store carbon, and to improve local livelihoods. Initiatives related to the protection and rehabilitation of forest and peatlands are being implemented at both the local and national levels. Project activities are based on a multistakeholder approach, with the strong involvement of local community members. Field activities are on-going in both Central Kalimantan and Sumatra. In Sumatra the project is focused on several villages around Berbak National Park in Jambi, and the MKPSF in South Sumatra. At the community level the project provides working capital through small grant and revolving fund schemes. As compensation, community groups must rehabilitate degraded peatland near their villages by planting tree seedlings. The project also provides technical support and training for communities to improve their livelihoods through alternative income generating activities. In terms of park management, the project has facilitated a joint restoration initiative between park authorities and local communities and also development of a joint patrol system that includes both park rangers and community members to tackle threats such as illegal logging and forest/land fires. Air Hitam Laut project ( ) The aim of the Air Hitam Laut project was to promote a river basin and ecosystem approach for the sustainable management of South-East Asian lowland peat swamp forests. The project was coordinated by the International Agricultural Centre (Wageningen UR) in cooperation with WI-IP and PINSE Foundation. The project improved understanding of the hydrological and ecological functioning of South-East Asian lowland peat swamp forests, and contributed to an enhanced science base for policy and decision making in relation to the integrated management of peat swamp river basins in the tropics, and in particular for Berbak National Park, Although the project was focused on developing a hydrological model for the Air Hitam Laut river through research and data collection, it also included studies and pilot projects looking at the socio-economic aspects which contribute to the destruction of peat swamp forests. GEF Project in Berbak- Sembilang ( ) The Greater Berbak-Sembilang Integrated Coastal Wetland Conservation Project (funded by the Global Environment Facility) was aimed at the long-term conservation of Berbak and Sembilang biodiversity through activities, which were integrated into two project components: i) spatial planning, assessment and monitoring, and ii) capacity building and environmental awareness. The project was successful in establishing Sembilang National Park in 2003, in close collaboration with all related stakeholders. The project worked to improve the park s patrol system, institutional coordination and conservation awareness strategy.

8 Global Peat Initiative (GPI) project phase 1 and phase 2 (2002 and ) The first phase of the GPI project focused on identifying and developing strategies to manage damage to the peat swamp forest of Berbak-Sembilang. The second phase focused on income generating activities in several sites recommended during the first phase, with the main goal being to reduce and prevent future fires in Berbak National Park. Activities included reforestation and enrichment planting. Several indirect activities focused on educating/encouraging the communities in nearby villages who have direct or indirect access to Berbak National Park to protect the Park from disturbance. Activities were aimed not only at the rehabilitation and conservation of Berbak National Park but also at effectively and productively improving the community s economy. The approach applied in the project followed that used by the CCFPI project. Working capital was channelled to a number of community groups in the target villages. In return for the funds, these groups were required to practise environmentally friendly agricultural programmes (avoiding the use of fire), and planted trees on abandoned land. THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES The focus of this three-year project ( ) will be on-the-ground poverty alleviation activities in the communities of Merang village in South Sumatra and Simpang Datuk, Telaga Limo and Sungai Rambut Villages in Tanjung Jabung Timur District and some other villages in Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi. The sites in Tanjung Jabung Timur District and Sungai Merang Village were chosen because they meet the following criteria: Close link between local livelihoods and wetlands; High levels of poverty; Strong potential to involve local communities in the management of wetlands through increased collaboration with local authorities; Local communities have expressed willingness to work with project partners; Potential to expand on lessons learned from previous and on-going initiatives. The project will take a two pronged approach, focusing both on: 1. Diversification and enhancement of income generation alternatives for women and men in the target communities through a program of small grants, complimented by activities to rehabilitate or protect peatlands, and 2. Increasing collaboration between local communities and authorities responsible for management of natural resources at the field level. These focal areas will be complimented by awareness raising activities and provision of input to policy development, especially as it relates to the critical catchment areas of the Air Hitam Laut and Merang Rivers.

9 Main Project Activities The main project activities will be divided into the components shown in diagram below. Proposal Development The first stage of the project involved development of a detailed project proposal through a participatory process. The proposal will form the basis for a project work plan, which is accepted by all stakeholders. Consultations undertaken as part of the proposal preparation process are designed to increase the capacity of local partner organizations and communities to engage in participatory planning initiatives. The main steps in the proposal development process will include: 1. Environmental and socio-economic appraisals in the target communities 2. Community-level participatory planning meeting 3. Meeting with key stakeholders 4. District-level meetings Enhanced and Diversified Income Generating Options The focus of the income generating component of the project will be working with small producers particularly women in the agriculture and fisheries sectors to secure access to markets, improve skills, diversify and enhance income generating options and connect with existing government and other services providers. Based on the Socio-economic assessment carried out prior to the implementation of the project, the main activities under this component including: 1. Market analysis. Assessing the relevant market chains is a critical step in determining why some people within the chain are kept in poverty and how market structures can be changed to improve the livelihoods of these people. A market analysis of the agriculture and small-scale fisheries sectors will identify: i) where different actors fit into the supply chain; ii) what market services are used (or

10 needed) by poor people, and iii) constraints in the market environment, such as land tenure, gender issues, availability of natural resources, corruption and government laws and regulations. The market assessment will set out the main constraints in each sector and identify what needs to be done to remove them. Training for local partners. Local NGO partner organizations will take the lead in implementing on-the-ground activities in local communities. 2. Development and refinement of community-level plans. Local partners will work in collaboration with community-based organizations to develop communitylevel development plans or, in cases where those plans already exist, to update and refine the plans. Plans will incorporate findings from the market analysis and will form the basis of the project s work. Depending on the agreement and proposal of community groups, it will be followed up with the training on sustainable and economically profitable livelihood practices as well as training on entrepreneurship, so that the proposed economic activities can be implemented on a sustainable basis. 3. Grant/revolving funds disbursement and associated support. In many ways this component forms the core of the project. Generally, the steps of grant/revolving funds disbursement will follow what so called the Bio-rights mechanism. Basically, the funds will be disbursed for community groups livelihood activities, with some modification according to specific local situations whenever required. In return for these grants the women and men involved will be required to engage in activities to conserve and rehabilitate wetland areas. There is a very strong link between the activities under this component and the nurseries and replanting, fire fighting and joint patrolling activities proposed under component 300. WI-IP so far has implemented various micro finance mechanisms, aimed at the improvement of local livelihoods while, at the same time, maintaining the sustainability of environmental services. Under such a mechanism, the participation of the community in maintaining, rehabilitating and protecting their coastal ecosystems (including the peatlands) will be rewarded through the provision of incentives in the form of working capital. This approach has been successfully implemented by WI-IP, for example, in and during the implementation of the CCFPI project. Local community groups were provided with loans to create their own alternative income generating activities. In return, they had to rehabilitate their degraded and abandoned lands. If, for example, 70% of the total trees planted survive, the groups are then freed from returning the loans to WI-IP. Any percentage of failure to maintain this figure, the groups will be asked to return the money proportionally, and this money will be awarded to another group who reached more than 70% trees survival. During the extension phase of the CCFPI project, on the request of community groups, the mechanism was modified into a revolving fund, although the planting tree obligation is still being introduced. Under this modified mechanism, local community groups were provided with interest-free loans as capital for sustainable economic activities. As a compensation for the interest-free loan, every member of community has an obligation to grow numbers of productive trees equivalent to the amount of the loan. In most cases, the number of trees is for every Rp. 1 million (Euro 100) of loan. For women groups, the obligation is to provide a similar number of seedlings instead of tree planting. As a prerequisite to the loan disbursement, every group must provide proof of their land status, so that no conflicts will be faced in the future. All the planted trees will belong to the community members and intended to provide supplement to their

11 sustainable income in the long run. Loans will be installed over longer terms based on the agreement of community groups, and will be re-distributed to other community members. Under this modified mechanism, while we keep the spirit of livelihood improvement and environmental services maintenance as figured out on the earlier mechanism, there will be more opportunity to distribute the fund to more community members as well as providing more space for sustainability context. Local Involvement in Management Activities Building sustainable relationships between local authorities responsible for the management of wetlands and the communities dependent on those wetlands is one of the major focal areas of the project. WI-IP s experience in Sungai Rambut village, Jambi has shown that activities designed to bring together diverse stakeholders to reach common goals can greatly improve relations and add to rehabilitation and conservation of key wetland ecosystems. 1. Community fire brigades. Enhancing local capacity to prevent and mitigate fires will involve a combination of training and support for livelihood activities through grant/revolving fund disbursement. The project will Support the establishment of the local institution at village level to prevent and mitigate forest and land fires, and provide necessary training and awareness programmes as well as procurement of simple fire control equipment. During the project duration at least yearly refresher training/gathering will be offered, along with on-going facilitation of the relationship with the National Park authorities. In order to ensure that members of the local fire brigade are committed to fighting fires and are likely to be on location when needed, the project will offer small grant/revolving funds for livelihood activities for members of the fire brigades. The intention of this strategy is to ensure that brigade members have a source of income that can cover the time when they are fighting fires, and also to increase the likelihood that they will stay in the area, rather than looking for work elsewhere. The project will facilitate collaboration with other on-going projects on the training, on the land and forest fires prevention and suppression and, where appropriate, will facilitate joint actions between these community brigades and Berbak National Park or the authorities in the MKPSF. 2. Joint Patrols. Joint patrols between community members and members of the Berbak National Park authority will be established to enhance understanding and collaboration between the stakeholders. The joint patrol will also invite other stakeholders (such as police, lawyers, press, local NGO and local government) to participate. Prior to the implementation of joint patrols, there will be training on law enforcement and land and forest fires prevention and suppression to ensure that all stakeholders have the same language to tackle the issues that arise during the field implementation. The patrols will focus on biodiversity and fire, among other things. The issue of illegal logging will have to be handled delicately, and the possibility of joint patrols focusing specifically on this will be addressed in a context specific manner. PINSE foundation has good resources and experience in coordinating and facilitating such joint patrols. 3. Establishment of Nurseries and Replanting. These activities will be linked closely to the disbursements of grants/revolving funds for livelihood activities. One model that will be adopted will be a requirement for people receiving a grant/revolving fund and associated technical support to prepare and plant a certain number of trees, and ensure a

12 specific survival rate. To ensure the effectiveness of the programme, training on seed selection and planting will be provided. Awareness Raising and Policy Development As noted in the background section, on-the-ground poverty alleviation activities need to be nested within broader efforts to provide a more conducive macro environment that supports small-scale livelihoods and sustainable management of ecosystems and their associated environmental services. In recognition of this, the project will also engage in awareness raising activities at the local and district level and with Berbak National Park on the importance of wetlands to poor and vulnerable communities in the Berbak-Sembilang area. In addition to targeted awareness raising activities, the project will work closely with other previous project to specifically advance lessons learned from the Air Hitam Laut River Basin project supported by the Netherlands Government under the Partners for Water Programme. The outputs of the project showed there is an urgent need to address land conversion issues in the upper catchment of the Air Hitam Laut River. Planned activities in the catchment threaten to have very serious negative impacts on both the project target communities in Jambi. Sustainability Context. Sustainability of the programme s outcomes will be ensured by insisting on sustainable exit strategies for individual small grant activities, including the development, where applicable - of micro-credit constructions. The programme is expected to leverage a substantial interest from the Indonesian Government as well as with the donor community at large. Sustainability of the programme s action is anticipated to be high as most actions will be based on agreements and business-like approaches, with full participation of local stakeholder groups in planning and implementation. REFERENCES Danielsen, F. and W. Verheugt, Integrating conservation and land use planning in the coastal region of South Sumatra, Indonesia. PHPA / AWB Indonesia, xxxiii Dransfield, J Notes on the Palm Flora of Central Sumatra. Reindwardtia 8 : Hamilton, L.S. and S.C. Snedaker (eds), Handbook for mangrove area management, s.n, 123 Silvius, M.J., H.W. Simons, and W.J.M. Verheugt, Soils, vegetation, fauna and nature conservation of the Berbak Game reserve, Sumatra, Indonesia. RIN Contributions to Research on Management of Natural Resources, xv Silvius, M.J. (ed) The Air Hitam Laut River basin; Life support functions of a black water river for people and biodiversity. Water for Food and Ecosystems Programme on: Promoting the river basin and ecosystem approach for sustainable management of SE Asian lowland peat swamp forest. Case study Air Hitam Laut river basin, Jambi Province, Indonesia. Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands.