In Indonesia’s Aceh, a once-isolated forest hosts local travelers on bamboo rafts

BENER MERIAH, Indonesia — Until recently, the village of Samar Kilang in Indonesia’s Bener Meriah district, near the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, was largely cut off from the rest of Indonesian society. The journey here from Simpang Tiga Redelong, the district seat just 70 kilometers (43 miles) away, took at least one wearying day on foot. So farmers growing maize, rice, candlenuts, durian fruit and other produce used bamboo rafts to transport their goods downriver to the neighboring districts of North Aceh and East Aceh.

“We gather up the selected bamboo from the forest and then we string it together with coconut fiber rope or sugar palm fiber,” Aman Tris, a Samar Kilang Indigenous elder, told Mongabay Indonesia.

“To make sure that the agricultural products don’t get wet, we crafted a platform up on the raft.”

In 2020, a new road was built, rendering the rafts unnecessary for agricultural transport. Meanwhile, the road also brought local tourists, who came to Samar Kilang to spend time in nature. Families would drive up from comparatively hectic towns on the busy coastal road to enjoy moments of peace on the river.

That prompted innovative young people like Alif Mudin, 27, to adapt the community’s traditional means of transport to a new economy.

“We’ve prepared seats on the raft,” he told Mongabay Indonesia.

Rafting Bamboo, which is managed by Alif together with other young people from Samar Kilang, is now open for business every weekend and on public holidays.

Each raft fits two or three guests, plus a guide armed with a punt to steer the boat around rocks and eddies. Afterward, cooks in the community will prepare food such as cendol, a syrupy dessert.

On the road

Construction of roads into forests remains a highly sensitive subject, which has often produced conflict between policymakers and environmental groups.

Data from Global Forest Watch show that from 2002-2023, Bener Meriah lost 7,310 hectares (18,060 acres) of old-growth forest, more than a third of the district’s total tree cover loss over that period.

Research has shown that road building is a primary driver of deforestation because it allows loggers to access previously remote areas with ease.

“This is the case in central Sumatra, which boasts populations of critically endangered Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatrensis), tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and other endemic flora and fauna that make the area globally unique,” according to a 2019 study.

For example, much of Indonesia’s geothermal resources — a clean and abundant form of energy — are located in protected forest areas, raising complex questions about trade-offs.

However, anecdotal testimony indicates that numerous communities living within forests in Indonesia turned to tree cutting as cost-of-living pressures outpaced growth in nascent cash economies. These remote societies often face unique economic pressures, such as higher fuel costs determined by distance from public services.

That presents a challenge to local administrators responsible for raising living standards while ensuring environmental protection. Often it’s small but dedicated nonprofit organizations that step into the gap with innovative ideas to foster economic growth, whether agroforestry or ecotourism ventures.

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  The Kala Meriah River has clear water with natural forest views. Image by Junaidi Hanafiah/Mongabay Indonesia.
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  Rivers and forests are an important part of the lives of the Samar Kilang people. Image by Junaidi Hanafiah/Mongabay Indonesia.
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  Food made from wild cassava processed by the Samar Kilang community. Image by Junaidi Hanafiah/Mongabay Indonesia.
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  A sun-lit morning at Samar Kilang, Aceh Province. Image by Junaidi Hanafiah/Mongabay Indonesia.

Since 2020, the Katahati Institute has assisted Samar Kilang in marketing the nontimber forest products produced by the community’s women.

“We also support the activities of the Samar Kilang young people who want to develop ecotourism,” said Cut Qorry Dalila, a Katahati spokesperson.

On an overcast day in May, Alif and three friends guided four rafts built by the Samar Kilang community. Visitors in loud orange life jackets sat on foldaway chairs and looked out at the forest rising above the banks of the Kala Meriah River.

“We treat guests with a test of adrenaline, and beautiful views of the river,” Alif said.

Ensuring the sustainability of the enterprise far into the future requires the landscape around Samar Kilang to remain intact.

“With ecotourism, indirectly the forest is protected and the community will protect the forest,” Dalila told Mongabay Indonesia. “Ecotourism really does depend on river and forest management.”

Banner image: Bamboo rafting is an activity along the Kala Meriah River while enjoying the beauty of nature. Image by Junaidi Hanafiah/Mongabay Indonesia. 

This story was reported by Mongabay’s Indonesia team and first published here on our Indonesian site on June 3, 2024.

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Citation:

Poor, E. E., Jati, V. I. M., Imron, M. A., & Kelly, M. J. (2019). The road to deforestation: Edge effects in an endemic ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia. PLOS ONE, 14(7), e0217540. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0217540