GUNUNG LUMUT: HEAVEN ON EARTH

The forests on the foothills of Gunung Lumut are heaven on earth. We don’t just say that to praise the beauty of these dense virgin forests and its extraordinarily rich biodiversity. To praise its rolling hills topped with huge trees flocking with birds, the meadows where about 80 varieties of natural orchids flower and the rivers meandering this territory. This part the island of Borneo is literally heaven on earth!

According to the religion of the local Dayak people – known as the Kaharingan belief-  these forests on the province border between East and South Kalimantan are sacred. They are a transit place for the spirits. After someone passes away, that person’s body is buried for the first time while their spirit (Liau) travels up the river to the mountains. Mount (Gunung) Lumut is the place of temporary abode and cleansing for the spirits of the ancestors. After several months, or even years, a secondary funeral takes place. During this ceremony (known as tiwah) the bones are exhumed, cleansed and then placed in a special mausoleum. The spirit of the deceased is then believed to watch over the village.

The relationship that Dayak people have with their surroundings is an astounding one. They depend on it for their most basic needs. Medicines, housing, food and in the past even for clothing; which used to be made from young tree bark and dyed in natural colors made from plants. 

This dependency has led to the introduction of strict rules and directives on how to treat the rainforests and what may be done or taken from the forests and what is taboo. A careful system stipulates how land can be used for cultivation but then has to be left alone to recover for a number years depending on its characteristics. This is land use management in its earliest form.

Local wisdom

The Dayaks’ local wisdom also directs that trespassing on these rules will destroy the balance of the forest and animals living in the forest, and so directly or indirectly adversely damage communities living from the forest bounty.Those who do not comply need to pay a fine. The money will be used on events or things beneficial to the whole community.

Although the Gunung Lumut area currently has the status of  ‘protection forest’ and fall under the district authority, the Dayak Kaharingan people got concerned that one day this might not be enough to protect the place they hold sacred. Therefore the community aspires for their forests to be declared a national park. WWF and local partners have been supporting the local communities to realize their wish over the last 7 years. In close partnership the necessary requirements are being made. 

What many people don’t realize, however, was that changing the protected status and function of Gunung Lumut into that of a National Park is of great consequence to the way these forests can be used by the Dayak Kaharingan communities. Harvesting of timber for housing, the hunting of deer for food or other ways of earning an income are no longer allowed. Although these activities are formally not allowed in ‘protection forests’ either, changing Gunung Lumut’s status to that of a National Park will also bring about strict enforcement of the law and supervision of those rules by actual rangers and the police. 

Daring decision

For the benefit of both nature and the people living in it that still took this daring decision, WWF has been assisting the Dayak Kaharingan communities in finding alternative sources of income. Surrounding the sacred forests of Gunung Lumut small scale plantations for rubber and rattan have been established. People started cultivating water melons and tomatoes, just as harvesting of honey has been brought to professional standards. Last but not least WWF helps to plan for the development of ecotourism once Gunung Lumut reaches the status of National Park.

A final decision on this is expected in the next year 2015. Please keep your fingers crossed for us, for nature and for the Dayak Kaharingan people. Because protecting the sacred forests of Gunung Lumut is a matter of life and death; literally!