Sumatara, Indonesia Flashcards
Where is it located?
East Asia
What kind of environment/biome is it?
Sumatran Rainforest
Archipelago (many islands)
Who are the indigenous group?
Orang Rimba people in the Jambi province
What are the main features of the indigenous’ lifestyle?
Fish in rivers, dig for tubers, grow for cassava, tap latex sap from rubber trees
Hunt snake, mouse, deer, porcupine, wild pigs
Live deep in the jungle in threatened shelters
Less than 2500 still living traditional lives
What is the trans-Sumatra toll road construction?
Began in 2013
Gov. say highway network needed to improve goods distribution
2700km long
To conncet Acen (N province) with Lampung (S province)
Highway access needed as Sumatra is home to many of Indonesia’s commodities such as coffee and coal
Costing 330 trillion Rupiah/US$34.3 billion
What threats does the road construction pose?
Monoculture of palm oil Removes orangutans habitat Deforestation of 'life trees' which are culturally important Open forest allows people to exploit Customary laws are ignored Cultural customs of the Orang Rimba are lost (their way to find food) Wealth lost with the forest Rest become rich and Rimba become poor
What have the Orang Rimba done in response?
Asked company for compensation of trees according to law but has been refused
What do the government do?
Allocate the palm plantation locations
What positive is the project hoping for?
A multiplier effect
Modernised future
Gov. support
Entrepreneurial
What are the negatives of the palm oil plantation?
Herbicide use means the grass dies
It is near the river source and there is already water scarcity
River now polluted so children died of diarrhoea, fish decline, food gone
Why don’t the Rimba want the money being offered for their land?
They say that the money won’t last but they know their forest is sustainable so would be beneficial LT if they get that back
