Increased democracy brings new opportunities and challenges for those concerned about South East Asia's rain forests. In this video local communities in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) and others talk about the future of the region's forests. Until the end of the last millennium these indigenous people and their concerns had been neglected while logging concessions were handed out by powerful people in Jakarta and elsewhere. This video was originally made in Indonesian language, to stimulate discussions amongpeople in Indonesia -- this version has been subtitled and narrated in English.These forests are some of the planet's most diverse in terms of plant and animal species, but there are multiple demands being placed on them by loggers, miners, oil-palm growers and others. What do the local people wish to see? What about others like the business owners and politicians? Where does it lead us? Is there a place for conservation? Not everyone agrees -- but that is normal in democracy. The positive news is that everyone agrees the need to maintain and protect some areas of forest for the future.You can find out more about the original project and its methods and impacts at http://www.cifor.org/mla/Made by Jungle Run and Miriam van Heist, Douglas Sheil, Michael Padmanaba, and Imam Basuki (of CIFOR). Special thanks to the local people of Malinau: especially Long Loreh, Lio Mutai, Rian, Seturan, Gong Solok, Laban Nyarit.
