STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014
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has been renewed twice, with neighbouring clans adding their forests
to the conservation area – bringing the total protected area to 2,000
hectares of ecologically rich primary forest.
The traditional concept of conservation
‘Management of the area is based on the ‘traditional concept of
conservation’, explains Yat Paol, community activist and former
BRG campaigner.
‘In line with our traditions, the demarcated part of the forest is strictly
taboo and off limits to everyone for the duration of the conservation
deed. The ancestral and nature spirits that were ceremonially invoked
to seal the deed are seen as guardians and upholders of the taboo and
thus the agreement.’
Those who hunt, fell trees or make bush fires inside the protected
area face disciplinary action from the Conservation Committee, the
rules on violations being informed by both traditional and modern
penal systems. Punishment may take the form of a fine – one pig, for
instance – or community work.
‘The land gives us life’
Outside the conservation area, family garden plots in the forest,
managed in line with traditional agroforestry practices, provide staple
foods like bananas, taro and sweet potatoes. Such practices have also
been adapted for the cultivation of cash crops like cocoa and coconut,
with the BRG providing advice on how to improve production and
marketing techniques. These income-generating activities are helping
to improve livelihoods and cover the costs of health care and education.
‘The land gives us life, and we get our strength from the forest’, Peter
Bunam concludes. ‘We think the traditional ways are best. Because
of outside pressure, people started dropping them, but with self-
reliance, our life like this can continue – and that is what we want.’
Due to their special cultural significance in PNG, the tanget plants
(Cordyline fruticosa) in the Gildipasi village stand as a powerful
metaphor for the local clans and their connection with their land.
They embody the revival of customary practices as part of local
strategies for tackling the challenges posed by outside pressures for
exploitation and commodification of forest resources.
Magubem village, Gildipasi
