The API Community seeks to foster greater regional

consciousness by promoting relationships among

cultures, engaging in collaborative activities, and

confronting issues whose relevance goes beyond

locality and nation. One such issue is the current

global environmental crisis.

Promoting a holistic approach, the API Community

recognizes the socio-cultural contexts of environmental

dilemmas. Launched this November 2008, the

API Regional Project focuses on the theme of

COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES FOR

HUMAN-ECOLOGICAL BALANCE.

The API Regional Project, whose activities are set to

run for at least the next three years, promotes extensive

collaboration across national boundaries. By engaging

in the project, API Fellows hope to serve as mediators,

linking the people of various countries together as they

conduct activities in the specified sites within each

The Asian Public IntellectualsAPI Community and Regional Project

of the API participating countries: Biwa-ko in Japan,

Batanes in the Philippines, Khiriwong in Thailand,

Kalicode in Indonesia, and Tasik Chini in Malaysia.

The API Regional Project seeks to look into the responses

of local communities to environmental challenges

relating to the four areas of forest degradation, water

quality, urban environment and marine coastal ecology.

In doing so, the links between mountains, forests,

rivers and seas are highlighted. It is hoped that lessons

can be drawn from community wisdom, initiatives and

experiences—both successes and failures—which can

be shared with the wider public towards developing

better responses for the future.

INDONESIA: KALICODE

Kalicode is a river bisecting the Yogyakarta area from the north to the south of the city. It is a sub-river of Opak, with its upper course coarse located in the southern part of Mt. Merapi, ending atin the Parangtritis coast. With its upland and coastal connections, Kalicode is a good examplesample of a site linking urban environment, forest degradation, and marine coastal-ecology issues.

A high-density, low-income population resides along the riverbank of Kalicode. Many of them hold informal jobs as such street vendors, petty traders, domestic helpers, and other casual workers. As a dense community with scarce resources, Kalicode used to be the center of glaring social problems as such prostitution, street children, criminality, and the like. Nowadays, people staying along the Kalicode face a new challenge with the increase of environmental degradation in the river. Physically, Kalicode is getting narrower annually, since its riverbank is being constantly converted to housing areas. This is because poor people cannot afford to buy land or houses away from the riverbank. According to a source, the river’s width

has narrowed from 40 meters in the past to only 17-19 meters today (Kompas newspaper, 3 December 2004: B). Hence, the river’s function to catch and circulate the water has been decreased considerably. During the rainy season, the water spilling out of the river causes flooding in the area.

Responding to this problem, a number of people in the area have established an organization called Kalicode Community Forum (Forum Masyarakat Kali Code). This organization works to improve the community’s quality of life and to preserve the river. For instance, they have created a village regulations to protect the river, planteding trees along the riverbank, processeding organic waste into natural fertilizer, and monitoring community waste disposal.

The API Regional Project wishes to highlight the local initiative of urban people collaboratively managing the riverbank. The causes and solutions to the environmental problems of Kalicode lie not only with the Kalicode people but also extend to the populations of its environs.

MALAYSIA: TASIK CHINI

Tasik (Lake) Chini, the second largest natural lake in Peninsular Malaysia, is located in the district of Pekan, Pahang. It is made up of a series of 12 lakes covering an area of 202 hectares.

The Chini Lake wetland plays an important role in providing fisheries as a direct source of livelihood and food to the six Orang Asli villages located around the lake. The lake is also able to accommodate a diversity of flora and fauna.

The local community in Tasik Chini has an intimate spiritual connection with the lake ecosystem, which is reflected in their culture and folklore. Legend has it that the lake was the site of an ancient Khmer city known as the Lost City of Gold, now completely submerged and guarded by mystical monsters. Such legends have attracted archeologists to conduct expeditions in the area.

More recently, the rise of eco-tourism, among others causes, has ironically led to the disruption of the ecosystem, adversely affecting plant and animal life in the area. This, in turn, has threatened the livelihood of the Orang Asli community on top of other challenges they face.

In response to the problems that arose, civil society, the scientific community, and the state government of Pahang initiated programs and implemented on-the- ground actions to halt the further degradation of the lake and threats to the livelihood of the community.

The API Regional Project seeks to focus on the manner in which various stakeholders engage with each other in managing and rehabilitating a degraded ecosystem such as that of Tasik Chini.

Photos by: Henry Yogoswara

Photos by: Dr. Hezri Adnan & Dr. Colin Nicholas

JAPAN: BIWA-KO

Biwa-ko is the largest lake in Japan. Mountain ranges surround it and 460 rivers flow into the lake which functions as a reservoir, providing water for 14 million people living in the surrounding and downstream areas of Kyoto city and Osaka prefecture. Due to its importance, local governments and local communities have taken great efforts to ensure that the volume and cleanliness of water is maintained.

Rapid economic development in Japan after the Second World War had a tremendous impact on the human and ecological balance of the surrounding areas of the Biwa-ko. Widespread use of chemical materials for agriculture, the destruction of natural river buffer zones, and household waste resulted in high levels of water pollution. Replacement of natural forests with commercial tree species brought about a loss of diversity in resources available for the local communities.

Through the collaboration of the local government and community, steps have been taken to restore the natural ecosystem, as well as to maintain the

PHILIPPINES: BATANES

Batanes, the Philippines’ smallest province lies at the

northern edge of the archipelago and is considered

one of the country’s last frontiers. It is composed

of 10 islands bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the

east, the South China Sea in the west, the Babuyan

channel in the south and Bashi channel in the north.

Its location across an active typhoon and earthquake

belt has largely shaped the islands’ terrain and the

lifestyles of the people who inhabit them.

In turn, the people of Batanes have utilized cultural

adaptive strategies to ensure their survival and

guarantee food security. Such adaptations (which

can also be thought of as calamity management

schemes) can be discerned from, among others, their

types of shelter, technology, indigenous practices

and beliefs, production activities, and their access

to and utilization of resources.

THAILAND: KHIRIWONG

The Khiriwong Community is situated within Kam

Lon Sub-district, Lan Saka District, Nakhon Sri

Thammarat, where it was founded more than 200

years ago. The community was originally known

as Ban Khun Nam (which means “upstream” or

“watershed area”). The community is located along

the foothills of the Khao Luang National Park,

surrounded by a mountainous area rich in primary

forest that forms the watershed of the Tapee River,

a major lifeline of the South.

Khiriwong has four sub-communities with a total

population of 2,724 divided into 751 households.

The community has faced a number of natural

disasters in recent years, including a devastating

typhoon and catastrophic floods, which claimed

people’s lives and ruined livelihoods. Such

experiences brought to the fore the need for

environmental sustainability. With the help of

several government agencies, academic institutions,

and NGOs that provided training and opportunities

for community development, Khiriwong survived.

The Khiriwong Community has been well-known

for its strength, self-reliance, and the participatory

manner by which its members work together

to address its issues. These characteristics have

enabled the community to recover from a number

of serious problems, including natural disasters and

other socio-economic challenges.

One practice demonstrating the community’s self-

sufficiency is its use of traditional mixed orchards,

called Suan Som Rom—a main source of income.

This example of agroforestry is a product of local

wisdom, and has been in operation for over 100

years. In the past decade, the community has

come to apply this innate wisdom in establishing

and developing eco-tourism and other income-

generating activities such as the production of natural

tie-dyed textiles and traditional handicrafts.

With the increased emphasis in the recent years on

the rights of local communities in managing and

utilizing forest resources, the case of Khiriwong

can yield important lessons for other parties in

Thailand, as well as the region.

The API Community can help the villagers

by facilitating knowledge transmission to the

younger generations, as well as by exposing

the community members to new ideas and

ways of protecting the environment.

quality of water in Biwa-ko. They have gained the confidence and support of environmental specialists in an effort to influence local governments toward the enactment of policies and enforcement of laws and regulations pertaining to Biwa-ko. The restorative experience manifested in Biwa-ko provides a “best-practice model” for the API Community towards the attempt to address the environmental crisis confronting the region.

Batanes is home to the Ivatans, an indigenous group

with a distinct culture and tradition whose ancestry

can be traced to the Austronesians that migrated

south from Indochina during the Neolithic era

(5,000 years ago). The province boasts of neolithic

age archeological sites and anthropological studies

based on their language lend further proof of this

people’s ancient roots. Apart from the Ivatans,

Batanes has also seen the steady migration of Ilocano

(language group from northern Luzon island) since

the Spanish colonial period. Most of these people

derive their livelihood from fishing, farming and

cattle-raising.

The ecological and cultural degradation experienced

alongside the move towards urbanization in previous

decades has spurred both local and national efforts

in providing for the protection of Batanes’ unique

heritage. Designation as a Protected Landscape

and Seascape area in 2001 under the National

Integrated Protection Areas System (NIPAS), and

listing as a candidate for the UNESCO World

Heritage List in 2004 are recognitions of Batanes’

unique cultural and ecological assets, as well as the

efforts of its inhabitants to co-exist harmoniously

with their environment.

The API Regional Project seeks to learn from the

symbiosis between the people and the environment

demonstrated in Batanes. The site is a showcase

of successful government-community-indigenous

people collaboration towards environmental

protection. Rather than top-down, the recognition

and understanding of the need to protect their

environment percolated from the grassroots level.

It was also a scheme that embedded conservation

and protection efforts on local cultural traditions.

By tapping into indigenous house building/repair

methods, and promoting eco-friendly income-

generating activities for the locals, Batanes is truly

exceptional.

Photos by: Country Working Group

Photos by: Isa Nazareno & Chris David

JAPAN: BIWA-KO

Biwa-ko is the largest lake in Japan. Mountain ranges surround it and 460 rivers flow into the lake which functions as a reservoir, providing water for 14 million people living in the surrounding and downstream areas of Kyoto city and Osaka prefecture. Due to its importance, local governments and local communities have taken great efforts to ensure that the volume and cleanliness of water is maintained.

Rapid economic development in Japan after the Second World War had a tremendous impact on the human and ecological balance of the surrounding areas of the Biwa-ko. Widespread use of chemical materials for agriculture, the destruction of natural river buffer zones, and household waste resulted in high levels of water pollution. Replacement of natural forests with commercial tree species brought about a loss of diversity in resources available for the local communities.

Through the collaboration of the local government and community, steps have been taken to restore the natural ecosystem, as well as to maintain the

PHILIPPINES: BATANES

Batanes, the Philippines’ smallest province lies at the

northern edge of the archipelago and is considered

one of the country’s last frontiers. It is composed

of 10 islands bounded by the Pacific Ocean in the

east, the South China Sea in the west, the Babuyan

channel in the south and Bashi channel in the north.

Its location across an active typhoon and earthquake

belt has largely shaped the islands’ terrain and the

lifestyles of the people who inhabit them.

In turn, the people of Batanes have utilized cultural

adaptive strategies to ensure their survival and

guarantee food security. Such adaptations (which

can also be thought of as calamity management

schemes) can be discerned from, among others, their

types of shelter, technology, indigenous practices

and beliefs, production activities, and their access

to and utilization of resources.

THAILAND: KHIRIWONG

The Khiriwong Community is situated within Kam

Lon Sub-district, Lan Saka District, Nakhon Sri

Thammarat, where it was founded more than 200

years ago. The community was originally known

as Ban Khun Nam (which means “upstream” or

“watershed area”). The community is located along

the foothills of the Khao Luang National Park,

surrounded by a mountainous area rich in primary

forest that forms the watershed of the Tapee River,

a major lifeline of the South.

Khiriwong has four sub-communities with a total

population of 2,724 divided into 751 households.

The community has faced a number of natural

disasters in recent years, including a devastating

typhoon and catastrophic floods, which claimed

people’s lives and ruined livelihoods. Such

experiences brought to the fore the need for

environmental sustainability. With the help of

several government agencies, academic institutions,

and NGOs that provided training and opportunities

for community development, Khiriwong survived.

The Khiriwong Community has been well-known

for its strength, self-reliance, and the participatory

manner by which its members work together

to address its issues. These characteristics have

enabled the community to recover from a number

of serious problems, including natural disasters and

other socio-economic challenges.

One practice demonstrating the community’s self-

sufficiency is its use of traditional mixed orchards,

called Suan Som Rom—a main source of income.

This example of agroforestry is a product of local

wisdom, and has been in operation for over 100

years. In the past decade, the community has

come to apply this innate wisdom in establishing

and developing eco-tourism and other income-

generating activities such as the production of natural

tie-dyed textiles and traditional handicrafts.

With the increased emphasis in the recent years on

the rights of local communities in managing and

utilizing forest resources, the case of Khiriwong

can yield important lessons for other parties in

Thailand, as well as the region.

The API Community can help the villagers

by facilitating knowledge transmission to the

younger generations, as well as by exposing

the community members to new ideas and

ways of protecting the environment.

quality of water in Biwa-ko. They have gained the confidence and support of environmental specialists in an effort to influence local governments toward the enactment of policies and enforcement of laws and regulations pertaining to Biwa-ko. The restorative experience manifested in Biwa-ko provides a “best-practice model” for the API Community towards the attempt to address the environmental crisis confronting the region.

Batanes is home to the Ivatans, an indigenous group

with a distinct culture and tradition whose ancestry

can be traced to the Austronesians that migrated

south from Indochina during the Neolithic era

(5,000 years ago). The province boasts of neolithic

age archeological sites and anthropological studies

based on their language lend further proof of this

people’s ancient roots. Apart from the Ivatans,

Batanes has also seen the steady migration of Ilocano

(language group from northern Luzon island) since

the Spanish colonial period. Most of these people

derive their livelihood from fishing, farming and

cattle-raising.

The ecological and cultural degradation experienced

alongside the move towards urbanization in previous

decades has spurred both local and national efforts

in providing for the protection of Batanes’ unique

heritage. Designation as a Protected Landscape

and Seascape area in 2001 under the National

Integrated Protection Areas System (NIPAS), and

listing as a candidate for the UNESCO World

Heritage List in 2004 are recognitions of Batanes’

unique cultural and ecological assets, as well as the

efforts of its inhabitants to co-exist harmoniously

with their environment.

The API Regional Project seeks to learn from the

symbiosis between the people and the environment

demonstrated in Batanes. The site is a showcase

of successful government-community-indigenous

people collaboration towards environmental

protection. Rather than top-down, the recognition

and understanding of the need to protect their

environment percolated from the grassroots level.

It was also a scheme that embedded conservation

and protection efforts on local cultural traditions.

By tapping into indigenous house building/repair

methods, and promoting eco-friendly income-

generating activities for the locals, Batanes is truly

exceptional.

Photos by: Country Working Group

Photos by: Isa Nazareno & Chris David

The API Community seeks to foster greater regional

consciousness by promoting relationships among

cultures, engaging in collaborative activities, and

confronting issues whose relevance goes beyond

locality and nation. One such issue is the current

global environmental crisis.

Promoting a holistic approach, the API Community

recognizes the socio-cultural contexts of environmental

dilemmas. Launched this November 2008, the

API Regional Project focuses on the theme of

COMMUNITY-BASED INITIATIVES FOR

HUMAN-ECOLOGICAL BALANCE.

The API Regional Project, whose activities are set to

run for at least the next three years, promotes extensive

collaboration across national boundaries. By engaging

in the project, API Fellows hope to serve as mediators,

linking the people of various countries together as they

conduct activities in the specified sites within each

The Asian Public IntellectualsAPI Community and Regional Project

of the API participating countries: Biwa-ko in Japan,

Batanes in the Philippines, Khiriwong in Thailand,

Kalicode in Indonesia, and Tasik Chini in Malaysia.

The API Regional Project seeks to look into the responses

of local communities to environmental challenges

relating to the four areas of forest degradation, water

quality, urban environment and marine coastal ecology.

In doing so, the links between mountains, forests,

rivers and seas are highlighted. It is hoped that lessons

can be drawn from community wisdom, initiatives and

experiences—both successes and failures—which can

be shared with the wider public towards developing

better responses for the future.

INDONESIA: KALICODE

Kalicode is a river bisecting the Yogyakarta area from the north to the south of the city. It is a sub-river of Opak, with its upper course coarse located in the southern part of Mt. Merapi, ending atin the Parangtritis coast. With its upland and coastal connections, Kalicode is a good examplesample of a site linking urban environment, forest degradation, and marine coastal-ecology issues.

A high-density, low-income population resides along the riverbank of Kalicode. Many of them hold informal jobs as such street vendors, petty traders, domestic helpers, and other casual workers. As a dense community with scarce resources, Kalicode used to be the center of glaring social problems as such prostitution, street children, criminality, and the like. Nowadays, people staying along the Kalicode face a new challenge with the increase of environmental degradation in the river. Physically, Kalicode is getting narrower annually, since its riverbank is being constantly converted to housing areas. This is because poor people cannot afford to buy land or houses away from the riverbank. According to a source, the river’s width

has narrowed from 40 meters in the past to only 17-19 meters today (Kompas newspaper, 3 December 2004: B). Hence, the river’s function to catch and circulate the water has been decreased considerably. During the rainy season, the water spilling out of the river causes flooding in the area.

Responding to this problem, a number of people in the area have established an organization called Kalicode Community Forum (Forum Masyarakat Kali Code). This organization works to improve the community’s quality of life and to preserve the river. For instance, they have created a village regulations to protect the river, planteding trees along the riverbank, processeding organic waste into natural fertilizer, and monitoring community waste disposal.

The API Regional Project wishes to highlight the local initiative of urban people collaboratively managing the riverbank. The causes and solutions to the environmental problems of Kalicode lie not only with the Kalicode people but also extend to the populations of its environs.

MALAYSIA: TASIK CHINI

Tasik (Lake) Chini, the second largest natural lake in Peninsular Malaysia, is located in the district of Pekan, Pahang. It is made up of a series of 12 lakes covering an area of 202 hectares.

The Chini Lake wetland plays an important role in providing fisheries as a direct source of livelihood and food to the six Orang Asli villages located around the lake. The lake is also able to accommodate a diversity of flora and fauna.

The local community in Tasik Chini has an intimate spiritual connection with the lake ecosystem, which is reflected in their culture and folklore. Legend has it that the lake was the site of an ancient Khmer city known as the Lost City of Gold, now completely submerged and guarded by mystical monsters. Such legends have attracted archeologists to conduct expeditions in the area.

More recently, the rise of eco-tourism, among others causes, has ironically led to the disruption of the ecosystem, adversely affecting plant and animal life in the area. This, in turn, has threatened the livelihood of the Orang Asli community on top of other challenges they face.

In response to the problems that arose, civil society, the scientific community, and the state government of Pahang initiated programs and implemented on-the- ground actions to halt the further degradation of the lake and threats to the livelihood of the community.

The API Regional Project seeks to focus on the manner in which various stakeholders engage with each other in managing and rehabilitating a degraded ecosystem such as that of Tasik Chini.

Photos by: Henry Yogoswara

Photos by: Dr. Hezri Adnan & Dr. Colin Nicholas