On the 2024 World Environment Day commemoration, the Punan Batu Benau Sajau Indigenous people were awarded the Kalpataru Award. Kalpataru is the highest appreciation from the government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) to the individual or group being assessed for contributing to preserving the environment.
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The Punan Batu Benau Sajau Indigenous People is a small community, administratively located in Sajau Village, Tanjung Palas District, Bulungan Regency, North Kalimantan Province. They are the last hunters and gathers community in Kalimantan. They live along the banks of the upper reaches of the Sajau River and the forests around Mount Benau. Their primary residential location is in cave burrows scattered in the forest area of Mount Benau. The number of members of this community is 35 families with 106 people. Last year, the Bulungan District Government acknowledged Punan Batu as a Customary Community.
Due to its decreasing territory, this community's existence is increasingly threatened. Clearing forest land for plantations is one threat. The Regent Bulungan submitted the proposal to obtain the legal rights of the 18 thousand hectares of forest approved as customary forest.
Since 2021, YKAN has been working closely with the Bulungan District Government to protect the Punan Batu community. We hope the Kalpataru award can facilitate the process so Punan Batu can maintain access to and rights over their territories.
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