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Dayak Punan - Our Forest, Our Life
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Saving the Indigenous Forests from the Extinction Series

At present, Indonesian forests are in very dangerous situation due to massive exploitation that has been happened in the past couple of years. Every year, areas as big as 3 times of island of Bali are beeing destructed.
In the other hand – different with the general situation – there are still hope, especially in the ancestral forests that are still being managed by the indegenous people. Forest for them means not only the number of standing stock, but it is related with their religion, wisdoms and many king of socio-cultural aspects.
Dayak Punan community in Malinau (Kalimantan island) depend on their forest for collecting eaglewood (gaharu), Seko people in North Luwu (Sulawesi) get benefit from non timber forest products such as resin and rattan for fullfilling their livelihood, Knasaimos tribe in South Sorong (Papua) consider the forests as their own mother.
Initiative to defend the forest, are facing huge challenges. The indigenous people still worry if their forest will be converted into large scale plantation, forest concession or mining exploitation.

A Film by J.E.E.F. (Japan Environmental Education Forum), Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN), and Telapak. Supported by GISPRI and Produced by Gekko Studio

Voices From The Forest in India
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All across India, non-timber forest produce (NTFP), spell a critical source of income for indigeneus people and forest-dwelling communities, who are among the poorest of the poor. Not only do the NTFPs play a crucial role in the livelihood of these people, but from a key incentive to conserving the forest of India. Moreover NTFPs are woven in with the social and cultural fabric of the communities living in India.

Communities are working hand in hand with grassroot non-government groups, traders, and government to address the challenges posed by low productivity, lack of tecnology, irrational NTFP law, and wide-scale contract based extraction. Over the years of hard work, inroads are being made. Community-based conservation, management, value addition, and marketing of NTFPs are being successfuly practiced. Honey, mahua, resin, amla, sal leaf, and the thousands of other NTFP species will continue to flourish and play its role in the lives of communities today and in the future.

© Gekko Studio/Dusty Foot Production - India/NTFP Exchange Programme 2007

This film is the story of people living near tropical forests in Southeast Asia, in particular the story of indigenous communities in Malaysia, Indonesian and the Philippines. The film explores a community life entwined with the fate of their forest homes. The Voices from the Forest.