Understanding Bentarum’s Landscape

Explore the villages, habitats, and land-use patterns that shape this vital landscape

Landscape Dynamics of Bentarum

Bentarum doesn’t have defined borders. Sangga Bumi focuses on a 326,862-hectare area between Danau Sentarum National Park in the south to Betung Kerihun National Park in the north. Our western border runs along the village of Sepandan in the south to Setulang in the north. Our eastern border runs from Melemba in the south, up to Sungai Uluk Palin.

Villages

There are 26 villages within the Bentarum corridor. These villages are home to approximately 14,284 people. Most people in Bentarum are indigenous Dayak Iban and Dayak Tamanbaloh, with smaller populations of Dayak Kantuk. There are also small populations of non-indigenous Malayu. Most of Bentarum’s residents identify as Catholic.

Habitat Types

Bentarum can be roughly divided into six major habitat types:

  • Undisturbed Peat Swamp, covering 86,764.2-hectares
  • Disturbed Dry Lowland, covering 80,975.78-hectares
  • Undisturbed Dry Lowland, covering 86,172.66-hectares
  • Freshwater Swamp, covering 28,746.23-hectares
  • Mixed Agriculture, covering 27,811.6-hectares
  • Disturbed Peat Swamp, covering 16,392.11-hectares

Land Categories

Land in Indonesia is divided into areas that must remain forested (the Forest Estate, or Kawasan Hutan) and land designated for industrial use (Areas for Other Purposes, or Areal Penggunaan Lain, often abbreviated to APL).

66,470-hectares Industrial Use (Areal Penggunaan Lain/APL).
This area runs east to west and south to north in the centre of the landscape.
260,391-hectares Forest Estate.
140.423-hectares Protection Forest (Hutan Lindung)
Areas that must be protected for conservation.
44,186-hectares Production Forest (Hutan Produksi).
Production Forest is predominantly for the production of forest products, such as timber, rattan, resin, and other non-timber forest products.
75,781-hectares Limited Production Forest (Hutan Produksi Terbatas).
Limited Production Forests are also for the same uses but have additional restrictions, to maintain slope stability.

Land Uses

There is one existing Customary Forest (Hutan Adat) in Bentarum, the 9,480.4-hectare Sungai Utik in the village of Batu Lintang. Sangga Bumi is advancing 10 Hutan Adat applications in 10 villages covering 98,776.68-hectares. There are at least nine additional Hutan Adat applications known to be in progress.

There are 12 Village Forests (Hutan Desa) in Bentarum, covering 49,716-hectares.

Concessions

Forest Utilization Business Permits

In Kawasan Hutan, three companies operate Forest Utilization Business Permits. These are understood to be for the eventual development of carbon credit projects

PT Annisa Surya Kencana manages 33,604 hectares
Overlapping the villages of Banua Tanga, Nanga Awin, Nanga Lauk, Nanga Nyabau, and Sungai Uluk Palin. PT Annisa Surya Kencana  extends out of what Sangga Bumi considers the Bentarum corridor, covering the more eastely villages of Nanga Palin, Pala Pintas, Seluan, Sibau Hulu, Tanjung Beruang , Tanjung Lasa, Jangkang, Keliling Semulung, Kirin Nangka
PT Harkat Luhur Ekosistem manages 33,686 hectares
Overlapping the villages of Banua Tanga, Batu Lintang, Belatung, Lauk, Nanga Lauk, Nanga Nyabau, Nanga Palin, Rantau Prapat and Ulak Pauk.
PT Kokoh Buana Selaras manages 33,693.40 hectares
Overlapping the villages of Sungai Ajung, Melemba, Sepandan, and Lauk.
PT Borneo Konservasi Restorasi manages 16,923 hectares
Overlapping the villages of Tamao, Langan Baru, Menua Sadap, Mensiau and Pulau Manak.

Oil Palm Concession

Within the APL, one company operates an oil palm concession

PT Equator Sumber Rezeki manages 15,000 hectares
Overlapping the villages of Setulang, Mensiau, Labian, Labian Ira’ang, Sepandan, and Sungai Abau.

Wildlife

Bentarum is a biodiversity hotspot. Its mosaic of lowland dipterocarp and peat swamp forests hold extraordinary mammal diversity, including orangutans, gibbons, langurs, macaques, tarsiers, slow lorises, sun bears, and four of Kalimantan’s five small cats.

Sangga Bumi prioritises three species:

The Critically Endangered Tricolour langur (Presbytis chrysomelas cruciger)

The Endangered Abbott’s gibbon (Hylobates abbotti)

The Endangered flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps)

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