A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the National Park Authority of Danau Sentarum and its 27 partners at a coordination workshop supported by the FORCLIME programme in December 2010. The overall objective is to achieve best management of the national park which is located in the Heart of Borneo (HoB) area, as well as to improve communities’ livelihoods. The specific objective of this agreement is to generate synergy between all partners supporting the Danau Sentarum National Park Authority.

Attached to the memorandum is therefore a work plan in the form of a matrix which lists all partners’ planned activities for 2010-2014. The matrix describes who is doing what and where, as well as the source of funding. In this way it not only provides a good illustration of the landscape of partners working in the Danau Sentarum National Park. The agreement will be instrumental in bringing together all potential resources that the partners and the park authority have for nature conservation and community empowerment in an efficient way.

Danau Sentarum National Park with an area of 132.000 ha possesses critical ecological and economic values for the Province of West Kalimantan where it is located. The seasonal freshwater lake system of Danau Sentarum, which is regularily flooded for 9-10 months and mostlyl dry for 2-3 months a year, plays an essential role for water regulation in the region, particularly for the Kapuas river which is one of the longest rivers in Kalimantan. The area represents diverse ecosystems such as lake wetlands, freshwater swamp forest, and tropical lowland rainforest.  All areas downstream of the lake are highly dependent on its fluctuating water level. The national park and the surrounding area have also become a main supplier for freshwater fish, where up to 70% of consumed fish in the province is from the national park.  

The Park and its 27 partners, including the FORCLIME programme, are working in this area to facilitate community development, improvement of environmental understanding, ecotourism development, capacity development and other related social, economic and biodiversity projects.

For further information, please contact:
Mr. Budi Suryansyah
Danau Sentarum National Park
Tel. 0062-8125701074
Email: busur.65@gmail.com

Ismet Khaeruddin
FORCLIME Programme
Pontianak
Tel. +62 81354392662
Email: khaeruddin-HoB@eco-consult.com