Indonesia case study: Minangkabau community observes lockdown by restoring their forest in West Sumatra

This article is part of a series on the impacts of COVID-19 on indigenous and tribal peoples. The full policy report, “COVID-19 and indigenous and tribal peoples:  the impacts and underlying inequalities” which features 10 case studies, including this one, is available here.

By Marie Joyce Godio, through the help of Marcus Colchester, Patrick Anderson, and Zulkifli Bujang

In response to COVID-19 and the government order of physical distancing, the Community Forest Group (HKM), Talago Bawah Gunuang, in Luhak Nan Duo District, West Pasaman Regency, who belong to the Minangkabau indigenous peoples of West Sumatra, is restoring their forest through planting fruit tree and timber tree seedlings.

HKM Talago Bawah Gunuang has members from about 1,000 families. For five years, they have been struggling to save the area of natural forest based on customary law which applies to the land owned by this nagari (village republic). This forest is located at the foot of Mt Pasaman, which is being damaged due to rampant illegal logging. 

In 2018, HKM Talago Bawah Gunuang obtained a permit to manage a forest area of 2,000 hectares under a social forestry scheme. HKM members have documented almost 1,000 species of animals and birds that live in their forest, some of which are almost extinct, and about 100 streams, some of which were gradually drying up.

After obtaining the HKM permit, the community worked to save their forest and its timber trees by sanctioning the illegal loggers. Now they are enriching the degraded parts of their forest by planting avocado, durian, jengkol, petai, mahogany and meranti trees. They choose timber trees that have large trunks as well as economic value, and that can promote their wellbeing. The HKM strictly prohibits its members from planting oil palm in their forest area.

Forest restoration has helped the community to maintain staple food and nutrition. Many tributaries are protected from drought because the forest grows dense; they nurture spawning fish and young fish that will grow and can be fished by community members. The community also plants tubers, bananas and other food crops.

West Sumatra currently has about 1,140 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 34 deaths. So far, none of the community forest managers in the HKM Talago Bawah Gunuang have contracted COVID-19. However, because of their location, they do not have access to testing facilities or healthcare centres. Luhak Nan Duo District is not easily accessible, even with 4x4 vehicles.

To avoid the spread of COVID-19, the community requires people who enter the community to disinfect themselves. Working together, community members spray their houses with disinfectants that they produce from plants that grow in their forests, which they mix with patchouli and citronella oils. The community also limits its members from travelling outside, to the city, to the market and to other crowded places, and there is a mutual agreement not to hold events that involve many people. The deliberations of their leaders are written down and community members can follow the discussions by reading an information board in the village. In case someone from the community gets the virus, the HKM Talago Bawah Gunuang community has a simple meeting building with sufficient facilities which they can use as an independent isolation room. 

In spite of all these resilience measures, the community’s livelihood has been affected and their income has decreased. There is reduced demand for avocado, durian and other forest products because outside West Sumatra consumers have difficulty accessing markets. But, so far, they are still receiving orders from buyers in big cities such as Medan, Batam, Riau and Jakarta.