Menu
Donate

west kalimantan/

upper kapuas

indonesia

Since 1995, PRCF has worked with villages along Borneo’s Upper Kapuas River to secure their forests from external pressures to conserve biodiversity while supporting the development of sustainable livelihoods.

our work

The Origins of PRCF in West Kalimantan

 

West Kalimantan Province, located on the island of Borneo, has served as PRCF’s inaugural and most enduring area of operation. In 1995, PRCF implemented its first village development and livelihood enhancement initiatives in the buffer zone of Bukit Baka National Park, laying the foundation for its long-term commitment to the region. In addition to supporting local Dayak communities in the Sintang area, PRCF has played a vital role in reviving the traditional Ikat weaving arts, ensuring the preservation and transmission of this unique cultural heritage. The organization has also pioneered pilot projects focused on sustainable agro-enterprise development and the strengthening of village institutions. These early efforts have evolved into a comprehensive, community-driven approach that now characterizes PRCF’s work throughout West Kalimantan.

Building upon this solid foundation, PRCF’s community-based forest management and conservation program has prioritized the empowerment of Melayu and Dayak communities to secure legal rights over their ancestral forests. This is achieved through facilitating the formal establishment and management of village forests (Hutan Desa), a process enabled by direct forest allocations from Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry. By guiding communities through complex legal and administrative procedures, PRCF helps ensure that local stakeholders are not only stewards of their forests, but also active participants in conservation decision-making.

To date, PRCF has successfully supported the establishment of seven Hutan Desa in West Kalimantan, with six sites benefiting from long-term, results-based financing. These agreements provide sustained funding for conservation management and livelihood support over a 25-year period, contingent upon the achievement of measurable conservation outcomes and the maintenance of intact forest landscapes. This innovative model not only safeguards critical habitats and biodiversity, but also delivers tangible socioeconomic benefits to participating communities, fostering resilience and sustainable development. PRCF’s experience in West Kalimantan demonstrates the transformative potential of locally-driven conservation, serving as a blueprint for similar initiatives across Indonesia and beyond.

our work

Nanga Lauk - the model village forest

The Nanga Lauk Village Forest, which sits along the Upper Kapuas River, is the first project in Indonesia to be certified by the Plan Vivo standard. As a result PRCF has secured 25 years of financing for this hutan desa following the Plan Vivo standard for ensuring livelihood and nature-based outcomes. Nanga Lauk serves as a model for replication in other villages and projects.

Based on our experience we firmly believe that the best way to protect ecosystems and associated biodiversity is through building the capacity of local communities to sustainably manage the forested landscape they depend upon. Through results-based financing PRCF also ensures long-term community welfare through stewardship of natural resources and conservation of biodiversity.

This approach for results-based payment for conservation outcomes is now rapidly growing with an additional 18 hutan desa at various stages of readiness. PRCF is now also following Verra’s Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standard. The entire program will enable the protection of at least 80,000 ha of high conservation value forest in West Kalimantan.

This model from West Kalimantan is now being replicated at our priority sites in North Sumatra. 

Community Livelihood Support

Traditionally, local communities in West Kalimantan have relied on natural resources to support their livelihoods.  As resources diminish because of unsustainable use, local people become increasingly dependent on large private development projects, which are fueled by the extraction of local natural resources.

PRCF helps communities become economically self-sufficient by protecting their natural resources through sustainable management practices. This includes a variety of community-based activities such as the installation of running water systems, sustainable fish ponds, and agroforestry.

archive

Past Kalimantan Programs

Myanmar Weaving
Dayak Cultural Arts Revitalization

The ancestral Dayak Ikat weaving art of Borneo has become increasingly rare, and the cultural weaving tradition has begun to disappear. To curve this loss, in collaboration with the KOBUS Foundation, PRCF helped to initiate the revitalization of Dayak weaving traditions in the Sintang region of West Kalimantan. The goal has been to help local Dayak weavers revive valuable elements of their weaving culture by enhancing artistic and managerial aspects of their weaving, and to help establish village-level institutions to help weavers attain self-sufficiency and sustainability.

Turtle-Hatchling-in-hand
Paloh Beach Sea Turtle Conservation

Society has long exploited the Green, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley Sea Turtle populations coming to nest in the sandy beaches of Tanjung Belimbing National Park through uncontrolled hunting and poaching of their eggs. PRCF Indonesia engaged local villagers in conservation education and awareness through workshops, field camps for students, public awareness campaigns, and by establishing Sea Turtle Conservation Groups. Through these activities, we educated the community about their impact on sea turtle survival rates and the importance of maintaining and increasing sea turtle populations.

Mueller Gibbon-2
Mueller’s Gibbon Conservation Status Review
The Mueller’s Gibbon has rarely been studied, both in the wild and in captivity.  It has been said that it is the least known gibbon species of the genus Hylobates.  To help increase the knowledge base for this gibbon, we engaged in research and conservation planning at Gunung Nyiut Nature Reserve in West Kalimantan, including a population assessment of Mueller's Gibbon, to be followed with management prescriptions to help the protected are in its conservation.
Myanmar Weaving
Dayak Cultural Arts Revitalization
The ancestral Dayak Ikat weaving art of Borneo has become increasingly rare, and the cultural weaving tradition has begun to disappear. To curve this loss, in collaboration with the KOBUS Foundation, PRCF helped to initiate the revitalization of Dayak weaving traditions in the Sintang region of West Kalimantan. The goal has been to help local Dayak weavers revive valuable elements of their weaving culture by enhancing artistic and managerial aspects of their weaving, and to help establish village-level institutions to help weavers attain self-sufficiency and sustainability.
Turtle-Hatchling-in-hand
Paloh Beach Sea Turtle Conservation
Society has long exploited the Green, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley Sea Turtle populations coming to nest in the sandy beaches of Tanjung Belimbing National Park through uncontrolled hunting and poaching of their eggs. PRCF Indonesia engaged local villagers in conservation education and awareness through workshops, field camps for students, public awareness campaigns, and by establishing Sea Turtle Conservation Groups. Through these activities, we educated the community about their impact on sea turtle survival rates and the importance of maintaining and increasing sea turtle populations.
Mueller Gibbon-2
Mueller’s Gibbon Conservation Status Review
The Mueller’s Gibbon has rarely been studied, both in the wild and in captivity.  It has been said that it is the least known gibbon species of the genus Hylobates.  To help increase the knowledge base for this gibbon, we engaged in research and conservation planning at Gunung Nyiut Nature Reserve in West Kalimantan, including a population assessment of Mueller's Gibbon, to be followed with management prescriptions to help the protected are in its conservation.
Myanmar Weaving

Dayak Cultural Arts Revitalization

The ancestral Dayak Ikat weaving art of Borneo has become increasingly rare, and the cultural weaving tradition has begun to disappear. To curve this loss, in collaboration with the KOBUS Foundation, PRCF helped to initiate the revitalization of Dayak weaving traditions in the Sintang region of West Kalimantan. The goal has been to help local Dayak weavers revive valuable elements of their weaving culture by enhancing artistic and managerial aspects of their weaving, and to help establish village-level institutions to help weavers attain self-sufficiency and sustainability.
Turtle-Hatchling-in-hand

Paloh Beach Sea Turtle Conservation

Society has long exploited the Green, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley Sea Turtle populations coming to nest in the sandy beaches of Tanjung Belimbing National Park through uncontrolled hunting and poaching of their eggs. PRCF Indonesia engaged local villagers in conservation education and awareness through workshops, field camps for students, public awareness campaigns, and by establishing Sea Turtle Conservation Groups. Through these activities, we educated the community about their impact on sea turtle survival rates and the importance of maintaining and increasing sea turtle populations.
Mueller Gibbon-2

Mueller’s Gibbon Conservation Status Review

The Mueller’s Gibbon has rarely been studied, both in the wild and in captivity.  It has been said that it is the least known gibbon species of the genus Hylobates.  To help increase the knowledge base for this gibbon, we engaged in research and conservation planning at Gunung Nyiut Nature Reserve in West Kalimantan, including a population assessment of Mueller’s Gibbon, to be followed with management prescriptions to help the protected are in its conservation.

PRCF Indonesia

For a more in-depth look at our Indonesia programs, you may visit their website here:

https://prcfindonesia.org/