Passing knowledge about the local forest to the younger generation.

The lowland deciduous forests in Sumbawa Island, located in the Wallace line, are important for the local people and contribute to greenhouse gasses sequestration. Yet, they receive very little attention for conservation and are under threats due to conversion to agriculture, illegal logging and mining. Batulanteh Watershed is one of the 60 Priority I type watershed in Indonesia that most needs management intervention due to forest degradation (Anwar, 2005). Young people in Batulanteh Watershed continually confront forest degradation including the widespread reduction of the charismatic and important plants. Forest degradation substantially decreases opportunities for direct contact between local young people and nature which is critical for healthy maturation and development of the self and in the individual’s relationship to the natural world allowing young people to develop caring attitudes (Kahn and Kellert, 2002). Therefore, environmental education to promote connection between young people and nature by providing knowledge of and contact with nearby forest is critical to promote understanding of, appreciation for, empathy with and responsible stewardship toward local plants and to foster future conservation actions in the Batulanteh Watershed.

This project will raise the knowledge and awareness of local people about the importance of forests. Through this project, local young people will have the knowledge of and familiar with their surrounding forest and plants. Local young people will be able to identify important plants in the forest and understand why they are important for their lives that will be essential for their future survival due to climate change and other causes of food insecurities in rural areas. This information is also important as the entering point for forest conservation in Batulanteh Watershed by focusing on conservation of certain local trees and plants deemed as important. Herbarium will be made for each plant identified. This project will document local stories related to the local forests. Through the collection of stories of local forest told to the local young people, this project present some of the basic perspective that the local people use to teach the young about nature and local forest. The collection of stories about local forest is important for children to be excited and to connect with natural world. A book containing information on the stories, the list of the plants, their importance, and guidance for identification will be produced and disseminated to other local schools for long term forest conservation education.