A Close-to-Nature Forest Economy Adapted to a Wider World

Lempunah, a Dayak Benuaq village in East Kalimantan, Indonesia covers 9,200 ha of managed secondary forest consisting of tropical lowland evergreen rain forest as well as alluvial freshwater swamp forest. A combination of swidden agriculture and extracted and cultivated forest products provide the basis of livelihood combined with a long-established external market influence. Patterns of resource use in Lempunah are the result of an extended subsistence economy with the annual swidden, perennial forest gardens and the ‘forest in-between’ securing household subsistence as well as a broad variety of other resources providing additional financial income. Provided that these forest management practices could be maintained in a difficult political environment, this could be a contribution to sustainable forest management in this region.