Renggung Watershed, Lombok, Indonesia

Challenges · Agroforestry · Biodiversity · Livelihoods

Landscape Profile

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Renggung Watershed, Lombok, Indonesia

Approximate size (hectares)

21600

Population

275,000

Climate

Tropical Rainforest

Production Systems

Fish, Rice, Tobacco

Description

Lombok Island, Indonesia, is dominated by the Mount Rinjani volcano. Its tropical rainforest-covered foothills play an important role in Lombok’s water cycle and have National Park and protected forest status. Areas in the south are naturally arid. However, the whole island has a water problem due to degradation and deforestation. Tourism and agriculture are two main sources of income. Agricultural lands are fertile and intensively managed by smallholder farmers growing 2-3 crop rotations. Virginia tobacco is a big export commodity for international supply chains grown on 15,000 ha of smallholder farms. Other crops include soy, coconuts, legumes and agroforestry in the highlands. The Renggung Watershed is home to 76,818 households, 45% of which are farmers. The upstream region has six springs and community agroforestry buffers the national park. The middle region is important for agriculture, particularly tobacco, and the downstream region is used for fisheries and seaweed.

Voices From The Field

After graduating from Bogor Agricultural University in 2000 with a BSc. Forestry, I joined their Research Assessment Centre for Community Forestry and engaged in facilitating community forestry in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province. With WWF-Indonesia NTB Programme (2003-2005) I got involved facilitating watershed management in East and West Lombok. In 2005 I started lecturing in the Forestry Programme of Mataram University (and still do), and moved to NGO Transform to facilitate and train on natural resource management with communities. In 2010 I became project manager for FFI’s Dutch Government funded biomass project, and advisor to the current watershed work. The main motivation to join FFI was because there were no institutions outside government that are explicitly concerned with the issue of biomass and watershed on the island of Lombok. That’s what attracted me to join and become an initiator encouraging sustainable integrated watershed management sustainable in Lombok.

Budhy Setiawan Lombok Technical Advisor, Fauna & Flora International

My background is in anthropology, with a Master’s in Local Politics and Regional Autonomy. I have over 20 years work experience in social forestry, forestry governance and watershed management. During this time, I worked on high-level initiatives in Sumatra. With the World Bank – a Local Government Reform Programme, and an Integrated Conservation and Development Project in a National Park, with the European Union a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Support Project and many others. In 2011 I became Project Leader on FFI’s Lombok Watershed Project, I am also now involved in other FFI Indonesia programmes. Most of my work experience is closely linked to landscape approaches. In Indonesia key sustainable development issues play out at landscape scale, evident in Lombok, a small island experiencing energy and natural resource crises; the problems are multidimensional. Making a landscape the primary approach for conservation and development in Indonesia is very strategic.

Adam Aziz Collaborative Forest Management Technical Advisor & Lombok Project Leader, Fauna & Flora International

My background is in international development and natural resource management and I have a MSc. from Oxford University. The interdisciplinary grounding is ideal for thinking about complex landscape connections. I’ve been working with the British American Tobacco Biodiversity Partnership since 2007, firstly with Earthwatch Institute and since 2009 with FFI. I helped develop the Biodiversity Risk and Opportunity Assessment tool, used across BAT’s operations. Having earlier exposure to Indonesia through my undergraduate research, when I started in FFI’s Business & Biodiversity Team I became involved with the work in Lombok providing management support from our UK office.  It has been exciting to see the programme take shape and grow, gaining traction with different stakeholders. Based in Singapore since 2011, I am Programme Manager in FFI’s newest team ‘Agricultural Landscapes’ with an Asia-Pacific focus; clear institutional backing that landscapes are important. I remain involved in Lombok to champion the work. 

Anna Lyons Programme Manager, Agricultural Landscapes (Asia-Pacific), Fauna & Flora International

Major Successes

1

Combating watershed degradation

Fauna & Flora International have worked with PT Export Leaf Indonesia, British American Tobacco (BAT) group, since 2007 improving company actions on biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES). The focus is now on landscape solutions for watershed degradation. The BAT Biodiversity Partnership has a key role as catalyst providing funds, vision and helping leverage support. In 2012 FFI and partners from Mataram University, local NGO Transform and District government facilitated a multi-stakeholder process to design the Renggung Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) 2013-2027. Signed by the District Head in May 2013, it now informs development plans long-term and project activities short-term. The plan includes BES in its vision, mission and activity plan.

Working Together

The project team currently plays a pivotal role in motivating and bringing people together in Renggung, but this is not sustainable.  There is a focus on strengthening institutions, regulation and field activities to enable collaboration and sustainable watershed management. Government, business and civil society organizations/ individuals work together in different ways.  The project has facilitated a multi-stakeholder Central Lombok District Watershed Forum with an elected chair.  Ad hoc workshops have been important for bringing people together to prepare, consult and highlight the importance of indigenous knowledge. Regular community level meetings and activities are helping community forest groups gain legal recognition, build community institutions for watershed management and get training.

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