Local land use on Borneo: Applications of indigenous knowledge systems and natural resource utilization among the Benuaq Dayak of Kalimantan, Indonesia

Indonesia as a nation faces the formidable task of balancing sustainable economic activity, conservation goals, and continuation of traditional indigenous life ways. This research encompasses a broad but integrated system of human-land relationships among the Benuaq Dayak, an indigenous group who maintain their customary laws and land use systems. The study identifies and analyzes instances of community related land management and resource utilization in the interior of Borneo. As forest dwelling people, the environment has shaped the culture and life ways of the Dayak. They have developed a complex system of cultural aspects in relation to the forest that they depend on for survival. The Benuaq Dayak create a mosaic of land use systems practicing Swidden agriculture, managing mixed fruit orchards, rubber and rattan plots, and community forest reserves. Customary laws continue to shape the landscape and dictate extraction of forest resources in the community reserves. Because the Benuaq Dayak are subsistence farmers, small-varied land parcels are used to cultivate a high variety of resources. Village household surveys were conducted to identify the varying types of resources utilized and agricultural activities. Land surveys and biodiversity plots were used to analyze the land use patterns. This research through sample surveys, species diversity plots, and ethnographic research identifies differences in resource use, sustainability efforts, and economic utility of the various land use types of the Benuaq Dayak.