Ikatan Orang Rimba pada dewa-dewa menghidupkan kesetiaan menjaga Bukit Duabelas. Biodiversitas itu...
This story excerpt was translated from bahasa Indonesia. To read the original story in full, visit Harian Kompas. You may also view the original story on the Rainforest Journalism Fund website here. Our website is available in English, Spanish, bahasa Indonesia, French, and Portuguese.
New awareness is growing amidst the shrinking forests in Jambi. The Orang Rimba community has started cultivating food and medicinal plants. They also want support to take care of the remaining natural resources.
Bagentar's (45) journey through the jungles of Bukit Duabelas in Jambi finally paid off. Around 400 jernang (Daemonorops draco) fruits were collected. The fruits, which he collected from the forest floor, were brought to a settlement in Sako Nini Tuo, Bukit Duabelas National Park, Jambi.
The jernang fruits were sorted. Soon the fruits began to germinate, and he planted them around his hut.
Knowing that the jernang plants had successfully grown, Gentar became even more enthusiastic. He diligently hunted for prospective jernang seeds to the deepest forests in the national park.
Now, his jernang plants have paid off. From one clump of plants, he can harvest a sack of jernang fruit. If processed, it will produce 1.5 kilograms of resin. The market price is almost Rp 2 million per kilogram.
