KEE Beriun-Gergaji Becomes a Priority in 2022

East Kalimantan Province in 2022 will focus on developing two Essential Ecosystem Areas (KEE). "We have two programs for Conservation of Ecosystem Resources (KSDAE) in 2022, which will focus on developing KEE in Beriun-Gergajii on the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Karst and KEE in Mahakam Ulu," said Zaina Yurda as Head of the KSDAE Division of the East Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Service in Workshop on the Beriun-Gergaji Landscape Management Collaboration Initiative in Samarinda, Tuesday 23 November 2021.

KEE is defined as an important area outside a conservation area that is ecologically important for biodiversity. Currently, East Kalimantan Province already has 14 indicative maps of KEE potential, 2 existing KEEs, 12 indicative KEEs for KEEs in various types of ecosystems. Starting from those in Wetlands, Wildlife Corridors, High Conservation Value Areas, and Biodiversity Parks, landscapes that have geological and geomorphological specificities. "However, only two are fully operational, namely KEE Wehea-Kelay and KEE Mesaat-Suwi," said Zaina. Seeing the significant impact of KEE on conservation in East Kalimantan, he added, next year the Forestry Service will hold a coordination meeting and special workshop for 14 KEE. "This will be our focus.

One of the important karst ecosystems in East Kalimantan is the Beriun Ecosystem Protected Forest and the Gergaji Protected Forest in East Kutai Regency, including the karst landscape area and the surrounding forested area, which can be called the Beriun-Gergaji Landscape. This area is the headwaters for at least two major rivers in East Kutai, namely the Bengalon River and the Sangkulirang River. Another important value is biodiversity, including those with high endemism values.

Conservation Specialist for Endangered Species of Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) Arif Rifqi said, apart from being a source of water, the carbon stock in Beriun-Gergaji is 16.14 gigatonnes of CO2 and can absorb carbon emissions of 342 kilotons of CO2/year. There are at least 33 types of mammals such as orangutans and gibbons Kalimantan, 163 species of birds, 85 species of butterflies, 44 species of herpetofauna, 36 species of bats, and 52 species of plants that live in a unified ecological system that provides environmental services for the surrounding community. such as clean water, clean air, tourism potential and so on. Arif added that this area also has management challenges, namely forest fires, encroachment, poaching, and restoration of critical ecosystems.

Zaina added that the submission of the KEE indicative map in East Kalimantan has gone through a long process, which began in 2019. Thus, what will be done in 2022 is a follow-up to the process that was started three years earlier by involving various stakeholders including representatives of the business world. YKAN Senior Manager, Niel Makinuddin, said that collaborative management of the landscape scale is needed, involving stakeholders in Beriun-Gergaji. Moreover, in this area there are forestry concession activities, plantations, area management by the government, and other community activities. One of the companies located in the Beriun-Gergaji area, namely PT Multi Kusuma Cemerlang (PT MKC) stated that it was ready to support collaborative management. "Management is open to exploring areas for KEE," said a representative of PT MKC Rohimanfur who was also present at the Workshop. PT MKC needs collaboration with the government, and other parties, because their area has complex challenges to community conflict, despite encroachment and illegal logging. drastically reduced.