At first glance there doesn't seem to be much of a relationship between honey production and forest conservation.

Honey is a natural product obtained by keeping bees, which private entrepreneurs can do independently. Forest conservation, on the other hand, is part of a general effort to preserve the natural environment.

However, for honey collectors in Sumbawa, honey and forest conservation go hand in hand and both are directly linked to their survival. As a consequence, communities in six villages around Sumbawa's Batu Lanteh forest -- Batu Dulang, Kelunkung, Batu Lotok, Tangkap Burit, Bau Desa and Tepal -- work together to look after the forest area.

Saparudin climbs up a smaller tree to get to a boan containing a natural bee hive. (JP/Panca Nugraha)

"Bees make their hives in boan scores of years old. If these boan are cut down, the honey that we need will be gone," Saparudin, 55, a resident of Batu Dulang village, told The Jakarta Post recently.

"That's why we really look after this forest area to ensure there are no illegal loggers."

Boan is a local term for a giant tree in a forest where giant honey bees (Apis dorsata) make their hives. Trees referred to as boan include binong, rimas or rajumas, banyan, kelabur, santan, kayu batu, telutuk and candlenut trees.

Batu Dulang village in Batu Lanteh district, Sumbawa regency, is one of six villages located around the Batu Lanteh forest area. About 700-1,200 meters above sea level, this village is 27 kilometers southwest of Sumbawa Besar, the regency's capital.

As well as growing coffee and candlenuts, the 260 or so families in Batu Dulang village earn a living collecting honey from the forest, and have been doing so for more than three generations.

At the time of the honey harvest -- usually from late May to November each year -- the local community forms groups of honey collectors, each made up of six to eight people. These groups go deep into the Batu Lanteh forest to look for boan where natural beehives are bursting with honey ready to be harvested.

"One group usually consists of relatives or neighbors. They will go deep into the forest for many days. If you are lucky, however, you start on Sunday and return home on Friday with your honey," Saparudin said.

Saparudin is renowned as the oldest and most skillful japeng (a boan climber) from the communities around the Batu Lanteh forest.

It takes special skills to be a successful japeng: One needs to be able to climb trees that can have a diameter greater than the armspans of three adults and that can be as high as 60 meters.

A japeng also runs the risk of being attacked by thousands of bees when their hives are disturbed.

In each group of honey collectors, only one person is the designated japeng. The designated japeng is assigned to climb a boan and harvest honey from the natural beehives, which are referred to locally as bantat.

Other members of the group will wait under the boan and later process the beehives into honey. In one boan, there may be a number of bantat that contain honey.

"If you are lucky, you can find a boan with dozens of bantat," Saparudin said.

"It's troublesome if a boan is a binong or rimas tree as the tree trunks are very large and there are no lonto (creepers), so ropes have to be wired round the tree trunk," he said.

Before climbing a boan, a japeng will prepare an api poyong, a piece of dry wood covered in green leaves and then set alight. The green leaves prevent flames was growing too big and produce a thick smoke to drive the bees out of their hives.

The api poyong is attached to the waist of the japeng with a length of rope so the wafting smoke covers his body as he climbs and prevents him from being stung.

According to Saparudin, many boan in the forest have been there since he first became a japeng 18 years ago.

In a good haul, each group of honey collectors can take home more than 100 600-milliliter bottles of honey. Proceeds from the honey sales are distributed among the group members.

In the past, the honey collected was sold to collective traders from outside the region who came to their villages to buy the honey.

However, for the past three years, the honey collectors have been able to sell their product directly to a company called UD Hutan Lestari. Depending on the quality of the honey, each 600 ml bottle is sold for between Rp 12,000 and Rp 15,000.

"Between May and November we can collect 2,000 to 4,000 bottles of honey every month. We sell this honey through the Sumbawa Honey Network to other regions such as Lombok, Bali, East Java, West Java and Jakarta," said Junaidi, chairman of UD Hutan Lestari.

After being packed, the honey is sold for between Rp 35,000 and Rp 50,000 per bottle to collective traders. The price increases further after it is marketed outside the region.

"I've been growing candlenut trees for three years now ... The price of candlenuts is no more than Rp 2,000 per kilogram but a candlenut tree can someday be a boan and bees can then make their beehives there. So, later, when I collect the honey, I can earn much more," said Saparudin.

Saparudin said the income he received from honey was enough not only to meet his daily needs but also to send two of his children to university.

"We also farm and grow vegetables periodically before the honey season comes. The main livelihood of the community here is collecting and selling honey from the forest," said Jamali Bolang, chairman of a group of honey collectors in Kelungkung village where 390 earn a living as honey collectors.

"For generations we have looked after the forest and prevented illegal logging. Outsiders must think before trying to conduct illegal logging here because they cannot get out of the forest without passing one of our villages," said the 60-year-old.

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