Java in Indonesia is now famous as a rice-producing island. But once upon a time, it was covered mostly with forests (Refer to Figure 7.4). The colonial power in Indonesia was Dutch, and they started forest management. Like Britishers, they wanted timber from Java to build ships. 

In 1600, the population of Java was estimated at 3.4 million. There were many villages in the fertile plains, as well as many communities living in the mountains and practicing shifting cultivation.

The Woodcutters of Java 

Indigenous Community: The Kalang community of Java was of skilled forest cutters and shifting cultivators. 

• • In 1755 when the Mataram kingdom of Java split, the 6,000 Kalang families were equally divided between the two kingdoms. 
  • Without their expertise, it would have been difficult to harvest teak and for the kings to build their palaces. 
• Dutch Interventions: In the 18th century, when the Dutch began to gain control over the forests, they tried to make Kalangs work under them. 
  • In 1770, Kalangs resisted and attacked a Dutch fort at Joana, but the uprising was suppressed.

Dutch Scientific Forestry

Colonial Control: In the 19th century, when it became important to control territory and not just people, the Dutch enacted forest laws in Java, restricting villagers’ access to forests. 

• • According to law, wood could only be cut for specified purposes like making river boats or constructing houses, and only from specific forests under close supervision. 
• Punitive Measures for Forest Encroachment: Villagers were punished for grazing cattle in young stands, transporting wood without a permit, or traveling on forest roads with horse carts or cattle.
  • As in India, the need to manage forests for shipbuilding and railways led to the introduction of a forest service. 
• Colonial Needs: In 1882,  Java alone exported 280,000 sleepers. However, all this required labour to cut the trees, transport the logs and prepare the sleepers. 
• Blandongdiensten System: A system in which Dutch first imposed rents on land being cultivated in the forest and then exempted some villages from these rents if they worked collectively to provide free labour and buffaloes for cutting and transporting timber. 
• Shift from Forced Labor to Wage Labor: Later, instead of rent exemption, forest villagers were given small wages, but their right to cultivate forest land was restricted.

Samin’s Challenge

Challenge to Forest Ownership: Around 1890, Surontiko Samin of Randublatung village, a teak forest village, began questioning state ownership of the forest. 

• Philosophy Behind Movement: He argued that the state had not created wind, water, earth, and wood, so it could not own it. Soon a widespread movement developed. 
• Forms of Protest: By 1907, some of the Saminists protested by lying down on their land when the Dutch came to survey it, while others refused to pay taxes or fines or perform labour. 

War and Deforestation

World Wars: At this time, in India, working plans were abandoned and the forest department cut trees freely to meet British war needs. 

• Scorched Earth Policy: In Java, just before the Japanese occupied the region, Dutch followed ‘a scorched earth’ policy, destroying sawmills, and burning huge piles of giant teak logs so that they would not fall into Japanese hands. 
• Japan Exploitation: After that Japanese exploited forests recklessly for their war industries, forcing forest villagers to cut down forests. 
  • Many villagers used this opportunity to expand cultivation in the forest. 
• Post-War: After the war, it was difficult for the Indonesian forest service to get this land back as people’s need for agricultural land increased.

New Developments in Forestry

Shifting Paradigms: Since 1980s, governments across Asia and Africa have begun to see that scientific forestry and policy of keeping forest communities away from forests has resulted in many conflicts. 

• Community-Based Conservation: Government has recognized that the goal of conservation of forests rather than collecting timber, needs involvement of the people who live near the forests. 
  • Some villages have been patrolling their forests, with each household taking it in turns, instead of leaving it to forest guards. 
• Sacred Groves: In many cases, from Mizoram to Kerala, dense forests have survived only because villages protected them in sacred groves known as sarnas, devarakudu, kan, rai, etc. 

Conclusion

Dutch exploitation decimated Java’s forests, a stark reminder of the destructive potential of unchecked resource extraction. Thankfully, a paradigm shift is underway. By recognizing the pivotal role of local communities in forest conservation, governments are fostering collaborative approaches. This empowers people to protect sacred groves and patrol their forests, offering a promising path to forest restoration and sustainable management.

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