Borneo Nature Foundation has long been carrying out reforestation activities in the Natural Laboratory of Peat-swamp Forest (LAHG) Research Area within in Sebangau National Park, in partnership with Balai Taman Nasional Sebangau (BTNS), Palangka Raya University, and UPT LLG Center for International Cooperation in Sustainable Management of Tropical Peatland (CIMTROP). This activity aims to restore the Sebangau National Park peat-swamp forest, which was damaged and degraded by forest fires.
Communities around the Sebangau area play an important role in the success of this reforestation and restoration program. Therefore, BNF receives support from the local government to form Community Nursery groups, equipped with training and expertise on plant nurseries to support the success of the program. These groups have been formed in two villages so far, namely Sabaru and Kereng Bangkirai.
There are two interconnected activities in the Community Nurseries program, the seedling nurseries and conservation-based integrated agriculture. The main objective of seedling nurseries is to supply and grow the seedlings for planting in degraded Sebangau forests, which provides direct economic benefits as the seedlings are purchased by BNF. In addition, this program will help educate the community to jointly protect the future of the peat-swamp forest ecosystem.
In the conservation-based integrated agriculture program, BNF will provide community training to manage agricultural land and fisheries. The purpose of this program is to increase the productivity of community land, and reduce the risk of forest and land fires, simultaneously improving the environment, and increase the economic income of local people.
