Introducing Aliansi Bumi Kita: Uniting Communities for Conservation and Resilience
Introducing Aliansi Bumi Kita: Uniting Communities for Conservation and Resilience

At Planet Indonesia, we believe that effective and lasting conservation begins with people who have been the guardians of their lands for generations. It starts with the communities whose traditions are interwoven with the forests, rivers, and oceans they call home. That’s why we’re excited to introduce Aliansi Bumi Kita (Our Earth Alliance), a dynamic coalition of grassroots organizations, Indigenous communities, and civil society groups across Indonesia, united by a shared mission of social and environmental transformation.

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Aurore MaxeyAliansi Bumi Kita, community-led, conservation, grassroots movements, Indigenous communities, sustainable development, environmental impact, social justice, Local LeadershipComment
Harnessing Place-based Expertise in a Growing Team: Introducing Planet Indonesia’s Fieldnote System
Harnessing Place-based Expertise in a Growing Team: Introducing Planet Indonesia’s Fieldnote System

This year’s UN biodiversity conference (COP16) achieved important progress in recognizing and expanding the crucial roles of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), reflecting a growing agreement in the global conservation community about the need for inclusive and equitable approaches. Centering IPLCs and social justice is especially necessary now, as conservation is being scaled up to address the magnitude of the threats to biodiversity. 

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Aurore MaxeyFieldnotes, community conservation, conservation innovation, biodiversity, protection, sustainable development, Indigenous communities, Local Leadership, storytelling, inclusive conservationComment
The Realities of Community-Led Conservation in Protecting Pangolins
The Realities of Community-Led Conservation in Protecting Pangolins

Earlier this year, 109kg of pangolin scales were seized just south of the city of Pontianak by Kalimantan’s Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement Agency (Gakkum) [Ref]. That represents 179 individual Sunda pangolins - if we go by Yang et al’s calculations [Ref] - poached from the wild and stripped of their scales for sale. This one seizure, in which 3 were arrested, follows a pattern of seizures, arrests, and prosecutions of pangolin traders in West Kalimantan over the last few years. In one of the largest cases from 2023, experts claimed up to 2000 pangolins could have been killed for the scales in just one seizure.

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Aurore Maxeypangolins, wildlife, protection, illegal wildlife trade, Community-Led Initiatives, endangered species, smart patrol, poachingComment
Black Bags and Expectations
Black Bags and Expectations

The excitement and challenges of new partnerships

Late at night, we find ourselves on the patio of the village head. Jino, one of Planet Indonesia’s longest-serving team members, arranges coffee cups and cigarette boxes to represent a bridge. The bridge is a metaphor to explain that Planet Indonesia does not bring ready-made solutions but rather helps strengthen local ideas and initiatives (cup 1) by connecting them to technical expertise and government programs (cup 2).

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Aurore MaxeyCommunity-Led Initiatives, community-led, conservation, Melawi, Indigenous communities, partnerships, conservation stories, Kalimantan, Borneo, Village Forest Management, media page 2Comment
Want a Reality Check? Talk to the Opt-Outers
Want a Reality Check? Talk to the Opt-Outers

At Planet Indonesia, we pride ourselves on advancing community-led initiatives across social-environmental dimensions. It’s in our DNA, our core model, and our impact hinges upon this value, that communities must have ownership of the process of identifying and realizing solutions.

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Aurore MaxeyCommunity Governance, Conservation Challenges, Local Leadership, Social-Environmental Initiatives, Community Engagement, Opt-Out Behavior, Village Forest Management, Data Justice, Conservation Strategy, Community-Led Initiatives, Climate and Conservation, Socio-Economic BarriersComment
10 years of FAO SSF Guidelines; What does it mean for Planet Indonesia?
10 years of FAO SSF Guidelines; What does it mean for Planet Indonesia?

To mark the 10 years of existence of these important guidelines, we wanted to reflect on what they mean for us as an organization working directly with small-scale fishers. Since 2017, we have worked with small-scale fishers in the Kubu Raya district and more recently with small-scale fishers living inside the Karimata Marine Reserve.

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Aurore Maxeytenure right, conservation, fao, marine conservation, Kubu Raya, Karimata, small scale fisheries, sustainable fisheries, food security, community development, community governanceComment
Financial Inclusion as the ‘Alternate’ to the Alternative Livelihood Approach in Conservation
Financial Inclusion as the ‘Alternate’ to the Alternative Livelihood Approach in Conservation

In recent years, alternative livelihoods have gained significant popularity in conservation programs worldwide. These approaches often aim to reduce the dependency of local communities on natural resources that are threatened or endangered - moving people away from an ‘at-risk’ resource.

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Aurore MaxeyFinancial Inclusion, conservation, environmental impact, small-scale fishers, sustainable fisheries, farmers, economic challenges, Kubu RayaComment
The Unbanked: From Debt Cycles to Financial Inclusion and Resilience
The Unbanked: From Debt Cycles to Financial Inclusion and Resilience

Small-scale fishers and smallholder farmers in tropical countries are often financially excluded, leading to debt cycles and environmental loss in community-centered conservation areas. Financial exclusion limits access to formal/informal credit and financial services, forcing resource users to rely on sources of credit with high-interest rates and unfavorable terms. 

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Aurore MaxeyFinancial Inclusion, conservation, sustainable fisheries, environmental impact, economic challenges, media page 2Comment
Analysis of six years of community-based fisheries management shows positive perceptions but worrying trends.
Analysis of six years of community-based fisheries management shows positive perceptions but worrying trends.

  Small-scale fishers from Kubu Raya have been actively managing the mud crab fishery since 2017. Since this time, they have implemented around two temporary mud crab fishery closures per year and, in 2019, introduced and established an additional 900 hectares of permanent no-take zones in the mangroves.

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Aurore Maxeymud crabs, Kubu Raya, fisheries, sustainable fisheries, marine biodiversity, community-based managementComment
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2023

In 2023, our impact expanded, reaching nearly 1 million hectares of diverse landscapes, including forests and oceans. We are evolving, not only as direct implementers but also as ethical regranters. Read about all we achieved and the challenges we faced in 2023.

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Josephine Crouchannual reportComment
Beyond Borders: New Collaboration between Indonesia and Bangladesh
Beyond Borders: New Collaboration between Indonesia and Bangladesh

Tanguar Hoar, located at the foothills of the Meghalaya state of India, hosts a unique ecosystem covering 2,800 hectares (6,900 acres) of wetlands. As one of the largest wetland ecosystems in the country, the Tanguar Haor was also once very rich in fish biodiversity and fishery resources, supporting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of fishermen.

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Aurore MaxeyBangladesh, Tanguar Hoar, conservation, Community Engagement, Wetland Ecosystem, Conservation, PartnershipComment
World Wildlife Day: community-led conservation saving species
World Wildlife Day: community-led conservation saving species

The conservation, protection and management of the wild species that dwell in the forests, mangroves, rivers, and oceans of Indonesia is a critical component of a healthy ecosystem. Maintaining a biodiverse landscape when the world is on the brink of a sixth mass extinction event is becoming more challenging every day. Our holistic core model is designed to put communities at the center and we employ both in-situ and ex-situ conservation programs to restore and maintain the balance between humans and nature.

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Josephine Crouchwildlife, Gunung Nyiut, Gunung Naning, Kubu Raya, smart patrol, helmeted hornbill, community-ledComment
Life before and after the Conservation Cooperative with Eka.
Life before and after the Conservation Cooperative with Eka.

Meet Eka Legiowati, she is an inspiring literacy tutor actively engaged with numerous students working in Mengkalang Jambu Village in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. She works to foster an environment of learning within her community, helping elevate education and literacy levels for her students to compete effectively in the national job market. She also helped form a Conservation Cooperative in her village. We interviewed Eka to hear about her experiences and the impacts she has seen in her community after forming a Conservation Cooperative.

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Adam MillerKubu Raya, LiteracyComment
How Planet Indonesia is Protecting Nature, Restoring Forests, and Improving Lives
How Planet Indonesia is Protecting Nature, Restoring Forests, and Improving Lives

“After serving on the Board of Directors of Planet Indonesia International for the past five years, it was a pleasure to recently visit the team in Pontianak and see first-hand some of the villages we serve around West Kalimantan!” In July, our Board Member Nicholas Hughes joined our team in West Kalimantan, spending time with two of our partner communities.

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Josephine Crouchmedia page 2Comment