Djabar Lahadji

Working with his own Wana tribe in Morowali National Park, Indonesia, Djabar Lahadji is weaving environmental and cultural preservation together into a powerful alliance.

Djabar seeks to reconcile the interests of conservationists and local people, in this case his own Wana tribe. If he succeeds, both the tribe and the region will grow stronger because as the Wana become committed to the park that is giving them their livelihood, they will become its defenders --no forest can survive without human defenders.

Djabar moves first to introduce new environmentally sound and profitable ways the Wana people can earn good livelihoods from the preserve's lands. In the process, their lifestyle will change from one focused on exploiting the resources of the national park to one of respectful mutual dependency and support.

Tourism has opened one major opportunity. As Morowali Park attracts a growing number of visitors, Djabar is training the Wana to become guides and porters. He is also encouraging the production of handicrafts and helping to broaden the markets for them.

Since the situation of the Wana tribe is by no means unique, Djabar plans to help other indigenous groups across Indonesia make their way through this same transition, from traditional exploitative livelihoods to a sustainable new symbiosis with nature (and environmentalists).

Morowali in Palu has been declared one of Indonesia's national parks. This decision was made without giving consideration to the members of the Wana tribe who have lived in the area for generations.

For centuries, the Wana have been hunter‑gatherers, dependent on the forest. The government, perceiving the practices to be a threat to the park, has tried to remove the Wana from the area. However, the Wana who have been removed have felt lost and alienated and, in fact, do not know how to survive in their new surroundings. Consequently they keep returning to their old lands.

The decision to set aside Morowali as a national park, while removing the Wana, has brought tourism into the area. This is, of course, a lucrative industry, but not one which has benefited the Wana-- outsiders with skill and experience in the business namely hotel owners, travel agents, and shop‑owners are the ones who profit.

This situation is not unique to Morowali. Many other efforts to protect rich pieces of Indonesia's diverse environment have been developed with similar insensitivity to the resident humans. In Indonesia, almost all preserved have long been inhabited by local communities. Removing them has often seemed easier and preferable to letting them remain in the area and leading a life‑style that is destructive to the environment.

Djabar sees one way out of this dead end. The Wana must learn how to adapt to the new realities of their environment-- natural and human. If they learn conservation principles and practices and carve out compatible new jobs, they can remain on their traditional lands and earn a decent, environmentally sound income. Since their new income depends on preserving the environment, their traditional commitment can only grow. They will consequently protect it, preserving the environment and their culture at the same time.

Djabar has begun by creating a volunteer group of twenty Wana people who work as petty traders, professional guides, and small‑scale developers. This group is called Sahabat Morowali (Friends of Morowali).

Through this group, Djabar organizes programs for the Wana tribe. They currently work teaching basic English and tribal handicrafts, producing trained guides, and opening new markets.

The Wana people produce beautiful baskets and blowpipes, but production has traditionally been limited to what was needed for personal use. Djabar has started trading these goods and the proceeds help meet basic needs such as food and clothing. He hopes to open an art shop and use the profits to pay for children's education.

Djabar also organizes nature conservation education, arranges trips to find new spots likely to attract visitors, and collaborates with the government on environmental protection issues. He trains his volunteers so that eventually they can carry on most of his job, freeing him up to spread his idea elsewhere.

Ultimately, Djabar's most important job is to enable the Wana people to adapt to and manage a no longer unchanging environment. There is no more critical prerequisite for their survival than their becoming skilled champions of both cultural and environmental preservation.

Djabar is already moving to make sure that what he does in Morowali will spread to other areas. He is already working to persuade sympathetic organizations elsewhere in Indonesia to start disseminating his ideas. His ten year goal is to see that the Wana have a higher standard of living, that Wana children can afford to go to school, that the mortality rate decreases, and that they live in mutually sustainable harmony with the environment. Success in meeting these goals is, he knows, a prerequisite to helping his work spread.

Djabar was born to a Wana family in 1964. His love for nature manifested in his early childhood. Therefore, his early life in the forest and the fact that he received a traditional tribal education contribute to what makes Djabar uniquely qualified to lead his people (and other indigenous groups) along this treacherous path of profound change that is their only hope for survival.

Djabar went to school up until junior high school in Morowali. He spent his senior high school year in Jakarta, followed by two years at the Department of Anthropology, University of Indonesia. His love for nature led him to set up groups of nature lovers when he was in high school and at the university.

After he left the university, he spent three years working at an American‑owned golf‑course in Batam island (opposite Singapore), where he taught himself English.

Knowing the misery the new park was bringing to his people, Djabar decided to return and seek a solution. He lives with his parents and, before his election as an Ashoka Fellow, used to support himself as a part‑time guide.