The Nanga Lauk Village Forest project, known as Rimbak Pakai Pengidup or Forest for Life, supports a diverse range of plant and animal species, many of which are threatened with extinction. The project is located on the Indonesian side of the island of Borneo, which boasts a stunning 6% of all global biodiversity. The majority of this 6% however is found in the thick forests and peatswamps in the center of the island, known as the Heart of Borneo region, one of the largest transboundary rainforests remaining in the world.

These ancestral community forest assets are protected by local community members with support from NGO partners that have worked with Dayak tribes and civil society members to develop the community mechanisms required for verification under the Plan Vivo standard for community forests. Plan Vivo provides a measurable framework to finance conservation results and community development outcomes to ensure more sustainable management of these important rainforest zones.

New finance delivered through Lestari Capital’s conservation finance vehicle – the Sustainable Commodities Conservation Mechanism (SCCM)  is supporting  more effective forest management, through forest patrols and biodiversity protection efforts. New support from Cargill will also help project proponents expand the protected area beyond its initial 1,500 hectares to include additional standing forest that would otherwise be destroyed or degraded. The community’s efforts have already prevented the loss or degradation of 100s of hectares of valuable forest habitat each year, which supports the conservation of critically endangered species and secures old-growth rainforest that has long been a traditional tribal asset.

The majority of households in the Nanga Lauk village rely on forest and water areas for their livelihoods, and as source of food, fuel, building materials and traditional medicine. Sustainable forest management enables better management of these resources while also introducing new livelihood opportunities including the sale of honey and rattan and bamboo products, and ecotourism.

Identified as a priority for biodiversity conservation because of the exceptional diversity of species it supports, and the high levels of threat they face from deforestation and forest degradation. The project is part of the Embaloh peat swamp and peatland landscape complex around Danau Sentarum National Park. It consists of a mixture of peat swamp forest, riparian forest, swamp vegetation and open water.

Effective management of forest in Nanga Lauk will prevent the loss or degradation of up to 60 hectares of valuable forest habitat each year, supporting the conservation of the critically endangered mammals – Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), Bornean Banded Langur (Presbytis chrysomelas), and Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica); birds – Helmeted Hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), and Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmaeus); and reptiles – False Gharrial (Tomistoma schlegelii) and the thousands of other species that make use of the forest.