In 1996, the Indonesian Government designated 300,000 hectares in north-east Kalimantan (Borneo) for CIFOR to undertake long-term research into sustainable forestry management.

Encompassing the watershed of the Malinau, Bahau, and Tubu rivers, the Malinau Research Forest (MRF) is located in one of only a handful of conservation districts in Indonesia.

The indigenous people whose cultures and traditions are based on a thousand or more years of living in Kalimantan's forests are collectively known as Dayaks. Dayaks are mainly rice farmers who also practice agro-forestry and rely on forests not only for small-scale timber but also for a range of other products for their livelihood, such as rattan, eagle wood, bird nests, resin and fuel wood. The sustainable management of their forests is vital to their economic, physical and cultural well-being.

"The Indonesia Government's support for CIFOR's work in Malinau has helped put CIFOR at the global cutting edge of forestry research."  Muhammad Prakosa, Minister of Forestry, Republic of Indonesia

"The Malinau Research Forest is a living laboratory of all the social, political, economic, and biological changes taking place in the world's tropical forests. It is one of the world's most exciting forest projects, thanks to the vision and support of the national and Malinau governments, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, and local villagers." David Kaimowitz, Director General, CIFOR

Objectives

• To provide a platform for the various forest research disciplines to conduct long-term, collaborative and comparative research.
• To enable research at different temporal and spatial levels ranging from the stand level to the forest ecosystem level, and from the household to district levels with multiple stakeholders.
• To help improve forest management by providing useful lessons to enhance stakeholder participation, conflict management, and balanced land use planning.
• To help implement sustainable forest management by improving harvesting practices, stakeholder coordination, capacity building, management planning and monitoring.

Challenge

The complexity of forest ecosystems and forest management issues requires multi-disciplinary and multi-partner approaches. Only then will it be possible to resolve the numerous and often competing demands placed on tropical forest resources, such as for conservation and development.

CIFOR tackles this challenge by researching forests from many angles. These include examining forests for their natural resource potential, their biodiversity, the livelihood options they provide, and as landscapes offering multiple uses. Crucial to this research is CIFOR's Integrated Natural Resources Management approach - an approach that helps decision makers find the right balance between competing land and forest uses.

Field activities

CIFOR's strategic and multi-disciplinary research focuses on policy issues that make the management and use of forests more productive, sustainable and equitable.

Examples of CIFOR's wide-ranging research in Malinau include:

• Undertaking ethno botanical and landscape assessments of traditional Dayak knowledge to better understand their perceptions and use of local biodiversity.
• Implementing comprehensive biodiversity surveys of reptiles and amphibians, soils, bears, wild pigs and fish.
• Studying tree growth and forest regeneration in permanent sample plots.
• Analyzing and comparing the impact of conventional and reduced-impact logging techniques on aquatic fauna, soil and water.
• Working closely with local government officials to increase awareness of how policy decisions impact on the livelihoods and well-being of forest communities.
• Introducing fish farming in Punan villages of Malinau as a potential forest-related livelihood option for local peoples and the district government.
• Developing methods for ensuring more inclusive multi-stakeholder meetings between local communities, government, research partners and industry.
• Undertaking participatory action research with local communities to solve problems identified by them.
• Working with government, NGOs and community members to conduct poverty surveys.
• Building the capacity of local officials, community members and NGOs in such areas as database management and GIS technologies.

Project

CIFOR's work at the Malinau Research Forest is founded on a truly international alliance. Some 20-30 scientists from Indonesia work closely with a diverse range of international scientists and experts with the support of donor agencies from around the world.

National partners and collaborators

Malinau District Government, National Science Institute (LIPI), Forestry Research and Development (FORDA), Center for Forestry Education and Training (CFET), Inhutani II (state owned company), Mulawarman University - East Kalimantan, Bioma, NGO East Kalimantan, Fomma, East Kalimantan, WWF-Indonesia.

Donors

CIFOR's MRF activities are funded by: Government of Indonesia (MOF), ITTO, BMZ, DfiD, IRD, Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Contact

Petrus Gunarso (Project Coordinator)
Email: p.gunarso@cgiar.org
Jl. Raya Pandita, Teluk Sanggan, Malinau
East Kalimantan
Phone/Fax :+62 553 21559

Or

CIFOR
Jalan CIFOR, Situ Gede, Sindangbarang
Bogor Barat 16680, Indonesia
Phone :+62 251 622622
Fax :+62 251 622100
Mail address: PO Box 6596 JKPWB
Email: cifor@cgiar.org