INDONESIA, Banjar Anyar, Desa Sangkitan, Bali - July 2010
Community building in support of 1,977 acres of no-take rainforest in perpetuity
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Banjar Anyar is a small farming village positioned 2,200 feet above sea level on the slopes of Mount Batukaru. The majority of the 380 residents grow small plots of coffee, cacao, fruit and rice. Their village is adjacent to Sarinbuana Village, where Seacology funded a library, music and dance building, instruments and equipment in 2006 in exchange for village endorsement of a 1,975-acre permanent no-take rainforest reserve. The forest of Mount Batukaru is home to a variety of birds, the increasingly rare pangolin and leaf-eating monkey. Traditionally, the people of Banjar Anyar have been the de facto custodians of an approximate 1,977-acre portion of this rainforest above their village. Seacology is providing Banjar Anyar with funds to construct a village community building where meetings, Balinese dance and music practices, and youth activities can take place, in support of their commitment to protect 1,977 acres of rainforest in perpetuity.
UPDATE January 2011 - Seacology Program Manager Karen Peterson and Indonesia Field Representative Arnaz Mehta visited this project in October 2010. Despite unusually heavy rains in the region, the site has been excavated, the foundation and rough slab for the first level have been poured, and main supports have been erected. Village men are volunteering on the project on a rotating basis so that they can also attend to their crops. The building is being constructed in a beautiful location adjacent to a small temple; the details of the new building will reflect the architecture of the temple. The village is home to a large temple that is on the boundary of the protected forest area, and the community is looking forward to using the new building to host planning meetings. The building will have storage on the bottom floor and a traditional tiled meeting space on the upper level, with open sides in the traditional Balinese manner.
UPDATE June 2011 - According to Indonesia Field Representative Arnaz Mehta, as of March 2011 the building was progressing very well, with all concrete work done, as well as the roof construction. The Balinese carvers were working on the doorways. The community has donated a significant amount of volunteer labor to the project. The final payment for the project was sent in March and the building was expected to be completed in the next few months.
