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Kolombangara the lord of the water

Inland lake on Kolombangara Island

Catherine Wilson (The Jakarta Post)
Kolombangara
Sun, November 10, 2013

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Kolombangara the lord of the water

Inland lake on Kolombangara Island.

There is a mystical quality to Kolombangara Island, an extinct volcano that rises out of the sea in the western Solomon Islands.

A veil of cloud shrouds the edge of the crater, believed to be the original home of the indigenous Dughore people, while the shrill call of birds and the thunder of waterfalls echo through the dense tropical vegetation.

Kolombangara means '€œWater Lord'€ in tribute to the more than 80 rivers that cascade down its steep slopes, providing a lifeline to villages nestled around the coastline of this 15-kilometer wide island.

In the Solomon Islands more than 80 percent of land is covered in forest and the majority of the population are engaged in rural-based subsistence livelihoods.

Forests and their resources are vital to people'€™s sense of identity, their physical sustenance and provision for future generations. The nation'€™s forests are home to 4,500 plant species with 600 used by indigenous communities for medicines, food and the construction of canoes and dwellings.

But on the island'€™s southwest coast near the village of Kuzi there is a reminder of a longstanding threat to their survival.

It is a clear morning and the sun shines on the sheltered cove, the orchids growing wild along the shore and the nearby lake, while white cockatoos soar across tree tops. This is very close to paradise, except for the abrasive sound of chainsaws not more than a kilometer away.

Commercial logging began on Kolombangara Island in the 1960s but it wasn'€™t until the 1990s that extraction reached unsustainable levels both here and in other parts of the country.

Today, the industry remains one of the greatest threats to the nation'€™s biodiversity alongside population growth and climate change.

Sheltered cove on the island'€™s coastline.
Sheltered cove on the island'€™s coastline.
On Kolombangara about 30,000 hectares out of 50,000 hectares of government-owned rainforest (which comprises three quarters of the island) have been destroyed. The same proportion of loss has occurred on the remaining customary-owned land.

Villagers say they have seen no benefits, according to Lima, a young woman who lives in Korare village, tree clearance has worsened soil erosion and '€œthere are more land disputes and access to alcohol which causes fighting among people, affecting women and children'€.

For Ferguson Vaghi, who used to be a logger, witnessing the destruction inspired him to transform his life with a commitment to conservation.

He is now dedicated to protecting the last forests on the island, working for the Kolombangara Island Biodiversity Conservation Association (KIBCA).

'€œWe rely on natural resources for almost everything,'€ Vaghi emphasized. '€œSome of the foods that we lost in the forest because of logging are local yams and wild fruits. And because the natural habitat of wild animals was destroyed, they ended up destroying our gardens, especially wild pigs.'€

Formed in 2008 by local landowners, the association'€™s objective is the sustainable management of natural resources. It was also instrumental to the remaining 19,400 hectares of undamaged hill forests above the 400-metre level being dedicated as a conservation area.

The main habitat of endemic plant and bird species, such as the Kolombangara White Eye, and newly discovered species of frogs, is now protected, as well as the headwaters of all the rivers.

This includes the former volcano'€™s crater, an area still to be explored.

'€œBiodiversity studies have been done just to the peak of the mountain. No study has been done in the crater,'€ Vaghi said.

Most islanders live in traditional villages and practice subsistence agriculture and fishing.
Most islanders live in traditional villages and practice subsistence agriculture and fishing.
'€œThere are old village and historical garden sites, which our ancestors built with stones near many of the rivers.'€ Here you can see how people devised irrigation channels for the cultivation of swamp taro,'€ he added.

'€œThere is also evidence of ancient shell money, the local currency which was used by islanders. These are what we call '€˜tambu'€™ [forbidden] sites and are evidence that we own the land.'€

KIBCA, with approximately 500 members, was crucial to motivating people across the island to sign an agreement not to engage in any logging or mining within the protected area.

The association monitors the prohibition and, if necessary, seeks advice from the Landowners'€™ Advocacy and Legal Support Unit within the Public Solicitor'€™s Office and applies for injunctions against illegal logging operators in the High Court. To date all of their court challenges have been successful.

At the grassroots level, KIBCA educates people about their rights, environmental and forestry laws and the significance of decisions they make for future generations.

Vaghi attributes their achievements, which have been internationally recognized, to the islanders being united, informed and organised.

This year the association received a Conservation Leadership Program Award administered by organisations including Conservation International and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

'€” Photos by Catherine Wilson

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