This year’s UN biodiversity conference (COP16) achieved important progress in recognizing and expanding the crucial roles of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), reflecting a growing agreement in the global conservation community about the need for inclusive and equitable approaches. Centering IPLCs and social justice is especially necessary now, as conservation is being scaled up to address the magnitude of the threats to biodiversity.
Read MoreEarlier this year, 109kg of pangolin scales were seized just south of the city of Pontianak by Kalimantan’s Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement Agency (Gakkum) [Ref]. That represents 179 individual Sunda pangolins - if we go by Yang et al’s calculations [Ref] - poached from the wild and stripped of their scales for sale. This one seizure, in which 3 were arrested, follows a pattern of seizures, arrests, and prosecutions of pangolin traders in West Kalimantan over the last few years. In one of the largest cases from 2023, experts claimed up to 2000 pangolins could have been killed for the scales in just one seizure.
Read MoreLate at night, we find ourselves on the patio of the village head. Jino, one of Planet Indonesia’s longest-serving team members, arranges coffee cups and cigarette boxes to represent a bridge. The bridge is a metaphor to explain that Planet Indonesia does not bring ready-made solutions but rather helps strengthen local ideas and initiatives (cup 1) by connecting them to technical expertise and government programs (cup 2).
Read MoreAt Planet Indonesia, we pride ourselves on advancing community-led initiatives across social-environmental dimensions. It’s in our DNA, our core model, and our impact hinges upon this value, that communities must have ownership of the process of identifying and realizing solutions.
Read MoreTo mark the 10 years of existence of these important guidelines, we wanted to reflect on what they mean for us as an organization working directly with small-scale fishers. Since 2017, we have worked with small-scale fishers in the Kubu Raya district and more recently with small-scale fishers living inside the Karimata Marine Reserve.
Read MoreIn recent years, alternative livelihoods have gained significant popularity in conservation programs worldwide. These approaches often aim to reduce the dependency of local communities on natural resources that are threatened or endangered - moving people away from an ‘at-risk’ resource.
Read MoreSmall-scale fishers and smallholder farmers in tropical countries are often financially excluded, leading to debt cycles and environmental loss in community-centered conservation areas. Financial exclusion limits access to formal/informal credit and financial services, forcing resource users to rely on sources of credit with high-interest rates and unfavorable terms.
Read MoreSmall-scale fishers from Kubu Raya have been actively managing the mud crab fishery since 2017. Since this time, they have implemented around two temporary mud crab fishery closures per year and, in 2019, introduced and established an additional 900 hectares of permanent no-take zones in the mangroves.
Read MoreIn 2023, our impact expanded, reaching nearly 1 million hectares of diverse landscapes, including forests and oceans. We are evolving, not only as direct implementers but also as ethical regranters. Read about all we achieved and the challenges we faced in 2023.
Read MoreTanguar Hoar, located at the foothills of the Meghalaya state of India, hosts a unique ecosystem covering 2,800 hectares (6,900 acres) of wetlands. As one of the largest wetland ecosystems in the country, the Tanguar Haor was also once very rich in fish biodiversity and fishery resources, supporting the livelihoods of tens of thousands of fishermen.
Read MoreIf local communities are to come together and shape their social, economic and ecological futures, they need strong governance institutions: clear riles, norms and decision-making processes. Here’s where Planet Indonesia steps in.
Read MoreThe conservation, protection and management of the wild species that dwell in the forests, mangroves, rivers, and oceans of Indonesia is a critical component of a healthy ecosystem. Maintaining a biodiverse landscape when the world is on the brink of a sixth mass extinction event is becoming more challenging every day. Our holistic core model is designed to put communities at the center and we employ both in-situ and ex-situ conservation programs to restore and maintain the balance between humans and nature.
Read MoreAs we bid farewell to another remarkable year, we want to share with you the impact we've made in partnership with the almost 40’000 people we serve and 958,000 ha of rainforest, coastal and marine ecosystems they steward.
Read MoreLearn about how the Conservation Cooperative (PUMK) has helped the community of Gema Ratu in Rambai Hamlet from the perspective of one of our village partners and tutors, Julius.
Read MoreThis year, the CEO of Yayasan Planet Indonesia, Novia Sagita, and Executive Director of Planet Indonesia International, Adam Miller had the pleasure of joining the Nature Positive Delegation at COP 28 in Dubai.
Read MoreMeet Eka Legiowati, she is an inspiring literacy tutor actively engaged with numerous students working in Mengkalang Jambu Village in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. She works to foster an environment of learning within her community, helping elevate education and literacy levels for her students to compete effectively in the national job market. She also helped form a Conservation Cooperative in her village. We interviewed Eka to hear about her experiences and the impacts she has seen in her community after forming a Conservation Cooperative.
Read MoreAfter working for a year with communities in the 190,000 ha Karimata Marine Reserve, we hosted a reflection workshop to assess how our approach works to improve wellbeing and biodiversity there. A reintroduction to our programs in Karimata.
Read MoreThrough the Ecosystem Recovery Program, YPI team members and community members have worked together to deliver a much more eco-friendly solution to planting hundreds of thousands of trees in a restoration area.
Read More“After serving on the Board of Directors of Planet Indonesia International for the past five years, it was a pleasure to recently visit the team in Pontianak and see first-hand some of the villages we serve around West Kalimantan!” In July, our Board Member Nicholas Hughes joined our team in West Kalimantan, spending time with two of our partner communities.
Read MoreAmid the rising temperatures, we have been reflecting. The team just gathered for our 6-month retrospective of our new structure and strategy to ensure that the services we provide and the impact we strive for are delivered in the most effective way. What better time to look back at our achievements of 2022.
In this report, we detail our new theory of change, the reach, and impact we have had over 2022, stories from the communities we support, our financials and share our thanks for all our supporters, and have a preview of what is to come in 2023.
