{"id":60137239,"date":"2026-06-12T09:57:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T08:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=photo_story&p=60137239"},"modified":"2026-06-12T09:57:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T08:57:57","slug":"kalimantans-last-hunter-gatherers-the-more-we-report-the-faster-our-forest-disappears","status":"publish","type":"photo_story","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/forests\/kalimantans-last-hunter-gatherers-the-more-we-report-the-faster-our-forest-disappears\/","title":{"rendered":"Kalimantan\u2019s last hunter-gatherers: \u2018The more we report, the faster our forest disappears\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fifteen years ago, the only human sounds to break the peace of the Benau Sajau forest were the rustles of leaves as hunters stalked bearded pigs, or the soft thuds of foragers digging for tubers. Today, that tranquillity has been replaced by the roar of chainsaws, encroaching ever deeper into the ancestral territory of a small community of Indigenous forest dwellers with each passing month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe sound is no longer distant,\u201d said Samsul, 40, as he foraged for tubers with his family in late December 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samsul belongs to what\u2019s thought to be the last group of Punan hunter-gatherers in Indonesian Borneo to still lead a nomadic way of life. First brought to the attention of the outside world by a study that started in 2018<\/a>, the community call themselves the Punan Batu, or Cave Punan, after the limestone caves in their territory. Made up of roughly 20 families, they live deep in the Benau Sajau forest, their territory straddling the border between the provinces of North and East Kalimantan. There, they continue to rely on the natural bounty of the forest for a lot of their food and other resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/div>
A small party of Punan Batu trek through the forest in search of food (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I joined Samsul on his foray into the forest last December after the community invited me to visit and report on their plight. With us were several other community members, including his wife, Siyui, 30, and their mothers Tegen and Kabo\u2019oh, both in their 70s. As we walked, their eyes scanned the surroundings until they spotted a slender tendril emerging from the earth and winding its way up into the surrounding branches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dogs accompanying the party began to bark. Tegen inspected the vine, judging its roots ready for harvest. The others gathered around to help, kneeling to pry the ground open with wooden stakes before unearthing the tubers with their bare hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Punan Batu call this taga<\/em>, a type of wild tuber that resembles cassava. Taking only what they needed, they carefully reburied unwanted roots so they will yield new tubers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/div>
Community elder Tegen holds up a taga<\/em> root she has just unearthed. A starchy tuber, taga <\/em>is a staple for the Punan Batu, who continue to rely on wild forest foods for sustenance (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"A<\/div>
The tubers are carefully packed into homemade baskets for the long walk back through the forest (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"A<\/div>
Her work done, fellow community elder Kabo\u2019oh rests before the party sets off again (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/div>
While his fellow foragers dig for taga<\/em>, Ma\u2019ruf collects medicinal plants. The Punan Batu call the plant he is holding umbut nyerotan<\/em>. Its spikey stem is boiled and the water drunk as a remedy for colds (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Taga <\/em>is a staple food of the Punan Batu. Samsul told me there are dozens of different varieties and the community eat them alongside wild game. But in recent years, they\u2019ve noticed animals have become increasingly scarce, and the supply of taga<\/em> is thinning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are no more tracks,\u201d Samsul said, referring to the trails of wild pigs and deer that once filled the forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe forest is shrinking,\u201d he added. \u201cIf the forest goes, these tubers won\u2019t grow. They cannot survive in bright, open spaces where the canopy is no longer dense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pushed out of the forest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During my visit, several members of the community told me how logging has been degrading their forest for the past decade, threatening the finely balanced ecosystem that sustains their nomadic way of life. According to Samsul, the relentless encroachment of land clearing and plantations is forcing them to venture out of the forest more frequently to find ways to make ends meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained the group visit nearby villages to source basic necessities, bartering or selling foraged forest produce \u2013 honeycomb and seasonal fruits like durian \u2013 in exchange for cooking oil or rice. But community members complained these tradable goods are also becoming harder to come by. Slowly, they are having to adapt to the modern world, but it\u2019s happening with a deep sense of unease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if we go to the city, we must still have our forest. That is where we hunt and forage for tubers. We aren\u2019t used to the food in the city,\u201d said Samsul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/div>
Back at camp \u2013 a collection of wooden shelters that have become more of a permanent home in recent years \u2013 Tegen roasts the taga<\/em> tubers over an open fire (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Several<\/div>
Once cooked, the food is shared equally among whoever is there. Groupings are fluid as community members move between shelters in different parts of the forest (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/div>
As the bounty of the forest diminishes, the Punan Batu are being forced to rely more on foods like rice, sourced from nearby villages (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Heri, 41, who represents the community in the Sajau village administration, explained that in the forest, the Punan Batu can obtain everything they need for free, and money only becomes necessary when they travel to urban areas. There, however, even 100,000 rupiah (USD 5.79) feels worthless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the city, if you have 500,000 rupiah, what can you actually bring home?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mired hopes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As well as to trade for basic necessities, Samsul said the group have, for the past decade, been forced to venture out of the forest more and more in search of support and official protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not an easy journey. Their main destination is Tanjung Selor, the capital of North Kalimantan. It takes several hours for the Punan Batu to get there, trekking through the forest and travelling by river boat to reach the nearest road, from where they can hitch a ride on passing vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/div>
Community member Kadodeu, who is in her 60s, weaves a basket out of rattan cut in the forest. This is one of the products the Punan Batu use to trade for goods such as rice and fuel (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Aerial<\/div>
To leave the forest, the Punan Batu must travel by river boat for around an hour to reach the nearest road. From there, it takes another two hours to get to the administrative centre of Tanjung Selor (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Most of their forest products are delivered to this trading post, run by a prominent local figure whose family has long had a relationship with the Punan Batu (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/div>
At the trading post, community members can also get hold of luxuries like biscuits and cigarettes. If they have no money or forest products to exchange, the shop keeper will make a record of their debt\u00a0(Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The journey towards gaining the protection they need has also been a long one. Thanks to the support of the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN), in 2021, they were able to apply for official recognition as an Indigenous group, known as a \u201ccustomary law community\u201d (masyarakat hukum adat<\/em>). <\/em>The Bulungan Regency government granted this status in April 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in place, the next step was to seek recognition from central government of the group\u2019s ancestral territory. This required technical assistance from YKAN and researchers, who helped map their traditional roaming areas. Based on this evidence, in June 2024, they applied for a total of 18,360 hectares to be designated as their \u201ccustomary forest\u201d (hunan adat<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This status would give the Punan Batu formal, legal control over the territory they have considered home for generations. But since they submitted their application, it has made only slow progress through the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linda Novita Ding, forest ecosystem controller with North Kalimantan\u2019s forestry agency, explained the forestry ministry conducted field verification in July and August 2025. This led to findings that have complicated the situation and are still in the process of being considered by the central government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are areas with forest utilisation business permits that fall within the proposed boundaries of the Punan Batu\u2019s customary forest,\u201d Linda revealed. These permits grant companies the legal right to exploit areas of forest \u2013 known as concessions \u2013 for commercial purposes, such as the extraction of timber or the development of plantations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aerial<\/div>
Pristine forest within the area claimed by the Punan Batu as their ancestral territory. Patches of deforestation loom in the distance (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"A<\/div>
The Punan Batu report that areas of land like this are being cleared across their claimed customary forest. Some of this deforestation is taking place outside concession areas, making it illegal (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Aerial<\/div>
Once cleared, the land is planted with oil palm. Although small, plots like this can be found scattered across many different locations and have potential to expand into bigger plantations (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The permits have done more than just slow the progress of the Punan Batu\u2019s application. They have also had a significant impact on the size of the customary forest now likely to be granted. Linda explained areas that overlap with existing concessions have been excluded, as have areas that have already been cleared. She noted the total area of customary forest now being considered by the government comes to around 6,000 hectares, covering only the limestone caves in which the Punan Batu have traditionally taken shelter, and what she called their \u201cimmediate foraging grounds\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is certainly not in accordance with the size of the proposal,\u201d Linda said. She emphasised that if there are no further complications, the application should be at the final stage, but she could not confirm when the designation would be issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe decision rests with the ministry. We will just have to wait for the result,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/div>
Samsul uses his phone to take photos documenting illegally deforested land inside the Punan Batu\u2019s claimed customary forest. The community say they have been gathering this kind of evidence and using it to report to the authorities for the past decade (Image: Muhibar Sobary Ardan<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Julmansyah, director of the forestry ministry office tasked with dealing with customary forest claims, confirmed Linda\u2019s account of the situation. He added that \u201cillegal encroachment for palm oil has already occurred,\u201d in several places within the proposed boundaries of the Punan Batu\u2019s customary forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He claimed to have reported this to the relevant authorities, but declined to say more on when the Punan Batu\u2019s application might be finalised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will complete this along with several other customary forest proposals,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disappearing home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the Punan Batu wait, their forest continues to disappear around them. Over the past three years, the East Kalimantan branch of advocacy group WALHI (the Indonesian Forum for the Environment) has observed ongoing deforestation on the eastern side of their claimed customary forest. Based on their spatial analysis, 429 hectares of forest were lost in 2023, followed by 1,505 in 2024 and 1,214 in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/div>
Over 3,000 hectares of tree cover was lost inside the area claimed by the Punan Batu as their customary forest in 2023-2025, found advocacy group WALHI East Kalimantan. This map shows all tree cover loss since 2001, with losses in 2023-25 added accumulatively (Satellite image: Landsat \/ Copernicus via Google Earth. Data source: Hansen \/ UMD \/ Google \/ USGS \/ NASA<\/a>, CC BY<\/a>; accessed via Global Forest Watch<\/a>. Graphic: Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf this is allowed to continue, the Punan Batu community could disappear,\u201d warned WALHI East Kalimantan Executive Director Fathur Roziqin Fen. He urged the government to immediately halt the forest clearing. \u201cWhat will be designated as Indigenous forest if the forest itself no longer exists?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my visit, members of the community told me that since they started informing the government about the threats to their forest a decade ago, logging machinery seems to be moving more aggressively into their territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my simple mind, it feels as though we are inadvertently clearing a path for the oil palms to move in faster,\u201d Samsul said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more we report, the faster our forest disappears,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asut, an 80-year-old elder, said all he wants is legal rights over the community\u2019s remaining forest. \u201cA hundred million rupiah can vanish in a single month,\u201d he said. \u201cBut with my forest, my children can still eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe government must act quickly to manage our forest. Don\u2019t let the forest we see here disappear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n