RAWA MEKAR JAYA

RAWA MEKAR JAYA VILLAGE FOREST IS LOCATED IN SUNGAI APIT DISTRICT, SIAK REGENCY, RIAU PROVINCE, INDONESIA

Siak Regency is a major sourcing landscape for palm oil and timber, but is also home to more than 300,000 hectares of carbon and biodiversity-rich forests.  Although responsible sourcing and sustainable palm oil programs have been implemented in the area, lowland forests like those in Rawa Mekar Jaya village are under constant threat from conversion to oil palm and pulpwood plantations, as well as forest fires. When forest habitat for the Critically Endangered Sumatran Tiger is lost, the risk of human-wildlife conflict grows in an increasingly crowded landscape.

In 2020, community groups in Rawa Mekay Jaya were granted a 35-year licence to manage forest covering 2,433 hectares as a conservation and sustainable forest-based livelihoods area. The community’s capacity still needs to be built to be able to implement activities to protect and conserve the village forest and to develop forest-based sustainable livelihoods. The communities and FCF’s local grantee, Daemeter Foundation, are seeking funding to implement a robust conservation action plan in this dynamic region.

Grantee Team

Daemeter, the project Grantee, has been acknowledged by a wide range of donor agencies and companies to manage various projects, starting from those related to responsible sourcing & production, smallholders & livelihoods, landscape & jurisdictional initiatives, and forestry & climate. Together with Proforest, Daemeter has been managing and implementing the Siak Pelalawan Landscape Program since 2019.

Daemeter has a strong and experienced finance team comprising management, technical, and finance senior officers. The institution has a track record of managing grant funding from FCDO (DFID) as well as other donors such as SECO, RSPO, Packard Foundation, and several private fundings building up its portfolio cashflow to more than USD 2.5 million annually. Its business approach has enabled it to find public and private partners to fund its projects with increasing aggregate income for more than ten years. There is a robust finance system in place which includes monthly monitoring and quarterly reviews of spending and income program by program and grant by grant. This system has already been checked by other donors and found to be adequate. Additionally, the annual finance report is audited by an independent public accountant with the audit result of Unmodified Opinion to prove the truth and fairness of its financial statements.

Daemeter will be supporting LPHD (Lembaga Pengelola Hutan Desa, Village Forest Management Institution) Rawa Mekar Jaya, through building the community’s capacity to do conservation activities and infrastructures, restoration with native species, alternative livelihoods, and water management.

Biodiversity and Conservation Values

The Rawa Mekar Jaya village forest is home to the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) critically endangered (CR), sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) vulnerable (VU), pangolin (Manis javanica) critically endangered (CR).

One of the vegetation in the forest is the Sialang Tree which is the habitat of wild honey bees. Hunting of wild honey bees is a tradition carried out for generations in the village. The critically endangered plant species such as Ramin (Gonystylus bancanus) and Gaharu (Aquilaria malaccensis), are also very common in this forest.

Threats

Rawa Mekar Jaya Village has been one of the empowered villages in the Siak Pelalawan Landscape Programme (SPLP) since 2021. This private sector-driven initiative supports the government agenda to achieve sustainable palm oil in Siak and Pelalawan districts. SPLP has introduced Strategi Jangka Benah (in Indonesian) or the Forest Recovery Program to address the issue of smallholder oil palm plantations that already exist in the village forest area and to create enabling conditions to conduct conservation and alternative livelihood activities.

However, the community’s capacity still needs to be built to be able to implement activities to protect and conserve the village forest and to develop forest-based sustainable livelihood. 

Project Activities

The project includes the following key aCTIVITES:

1.      Mapping and Identification of Village Forest Native Flora and Fauna

2.      Restoration of 500 ha using mix of native species

3.      Consultation with stakeholders at village, district, and provincial level

4.      Village Forest boundary marking

5.      Support for forest patrol: training and operational

6.      Built 4 patrol shelters with adequate facilities for resting places

7.      Watchtower for forest and fire

8.      Water management

9.      Alternative Livelihood

10. Capacity Building

Quick Stats

Area: 2,433 hectares

Threatened Wildlife: Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) critically endangered (CR), sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) vulnerable (VU), pangolin (Manis javanica) critically endangered (CR)

Grantee: Daemeter Foundation

Remaining budget to fund: US$ 139,000

Funding status: Unfunded

Commodities: Pulp and Paper, Palm oil, and Timber