The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

discuss ways in which the illegal logging canals could beclosed. They received community support for closingdown illegal logging canal Tata J. In 2004, project proponents organized numerousstakeholder meetings about the proposed palm-­‐oilplantation expansion along TPNP’s eastern boundary andarranged a site visit with one of the plantation managers,government officials, local NGOs, and the media. Beginning in 2005, WE established a presence in theSeruyan, setting up a regional office and embedding fieldstaff in five villages In 2005, WE and OFI jointly facilitated a discussion withTanjung Hanau village about the location of the Park’seastern border, because the community wanted to openmore land for farming and/or the establishment of arubber plantation. In 2005, WE ran a week-­‐long training program on “SocialAnalysis” and, together, WE and OFI facilitated aworkshop on conflict resolution. In 2006-­‐07, WE promoted and facilitated the preparationof regulations governing the protection of naturalresources in six villages. The long process involved inproducing a village regulation—social analysis training,mapping of social facts, analysis of strategic issues—helped build an awareness of the importance of theseregulations for the long-­‐term future of the community.The process was participatory, involving all elements ofthe community and in consultation with the district legalaffairs office for formal legitimization. Hanao district, Seruyan, has commenced an embryoniccommunication forum for farmers’ groups at the districtlevel. The forum’s activities are still limited tocommunication, and as yet it has no strategic agenda forpromoting the villagers’ aspirations. However, there are agreat many multi-­‐village issues in Seruyan, andcommunity forums like this one are needed to build acommon perception and to learn about various issuesinfluencing communities.In 2007, WE organized the first stakeholders’ meeting inthe Seruyan District. Local government was representedby the Regional Secretary, chair of commission B,members of local parliament, the heads of the localagriculture and animal husbandry service, the districtdevelopment planning agency, the local fisheries andmarine affairs service, the forestry service, and threesubdistrict heads from Seruyan Hilir, Danau Sembuluh,and Hanao. Discussions between villagers, villageadministrations, district parliament and representativesof relevant local government agencies produced 14strategic issues, which were packaged as a document forpresentation to the district head and district parliament,in the hope that policy makers would listen to theiraspirations.169