Locals share their opinions of CIFOR
‘CIFOR’s continued presence in Malinau is important,’according to the people living in and around Indonesia’s300,000 hectare Malinau Research Forest.
CIFOR's presence in Malinau dates back to 1996 whenthe Indonesian Government designated 300,000 hectaresof forest lands in East Kalimantan (Borneo) for CIFOR toundertake long-term research into sustainable forestrymanagement.
During the years since, scores of researchers fromIndonesia and around the world have examined Malinau'sforests. And as befits a multidisciplinary research center,these scientists have come from all manner of academicbackgrounds and studied Malinau's unique forests fromjust about every angle imaginable.
A list of just a few of these academic and scientificdisciplines include agriculture, information technology,biology, agroforestry, sociology, hydrology, anthropology,botany, medicine, zoology, law, meteorology, economics,soil science, and development studies, to name a merefew.
With such a diverse and large presence over such along period, and the constant interaction between CIFORrepresentatives and the local population, CIFOR decidedto take a closer look at how its institutional presence wasperceived on the ground.
Accordingly, in mid 2006 CIFOR carried out a series ofquantitative and qualitative surveys and questionnaires.The aim was to get a very general gasp of how villagersand government officials feel about CIFOR’s research, itsinstitutional presence, and its staff. The survey also askedvillagers and officials about their expectations of CIFORregarding capacity building and the dissemination ofresearch findings.
A key finding was the very positive attitude bothofficials and villagers have toward CIFOR’s continuedpresence in Malinau. Interviewees also said CIFOR’sresearch has increased their knowledge about forests andthe environment. For a number of staff it was reassuringto hear Malinau’s residents still value CIFOR’s presence.Before the survey, some scientists queried if CIFOR's longpresence in Malinau might be causing ‘research fatigue’among some communities.
From one perspective, however, this was partly true,as 30% of respondents said CIFOR’s visits were excessive.But in contrast, 97% rated CIFOR’s continued presence inMalinau as important. This seems to imply the 30% who feltCIFOR visited too often also recognized the importance ofCIFOR's presence. Perhaps the best way to interpret thisis to suggest CIFOR can feel confident its current level ofactivity is acceptable but it should always be mindful oflocal perceptions.
The people of Malinau have a good general level ofawareness about CIFOR, with almost all respondents sayingthey had heard of CIFOR. But not everyone understandswhat CIFOR does. While government officials were awareCIFOR carried out forest research the same cannot be saidof people in Malinau's various communities. Forty percent of villagers interviewed were unaware CIFOR doesforest research and 20% could not name any of CIFOR’sactivities.
The survey indicates that overall CIFOR has done quitewell in giving its research results back to officials andvillagers. Returning research to local people is an importantpart of CIFOR’s work and nearly all those surveyed believeCIFOR’s data improves their forest knowledge.
Current methods for distributing CIFOR publications seem to work well for government officials, with the vastmajority of those interviewed saying they regularly receiveCIFOR materials, which is mostly via the post. Villagers,however, lack a reliable mail service. Consequently notall of them receive CIFOR materials, with many villagersgenerally reliant on visiting scientists to deliver CIFOR'spublications.
In addition to looking at the dissemination of materials,the survey also asked for people’s opinion of the materialpresented. The survey demonstrated quite differentpreferences between officials and villagers. Villagers preferbooks with illustrations, large corporate and informationalposters and colorful calendars, while government officialssimply prefer books.
Combining dissemination and presentation, the surveyindicated CIFOR appears to be correctly matching theright materials to the target audience. The respondents inthe different groups said they find the material interestingor average, indicating that recipients generally receivematerials in their preferred format. Most of the surveyrespondents said they read the materials immediately. Akey finding in this section of the survey concerned thelevel of language used in publications aimed at villagers.While officials said they find CIFOR material easy to read,half of the villagers surveyed said CIFOR’s language is toodifficult.
Regarding training, villagers are most interested inagribusiness and other agricultural training to increaseincome. They also want more basic education and tolearn more about forestry and environmental issues.Government officials, on the other hand, prioritized forestryand environmental training, followed by agribusiness andinstitutional training.
Although the survey does not provide us withabsolutely definitive proof, it allows us to reasonablyassume the people of Malinau support CIFOR’s presence in the district.