“Pest Forests”, “Utility Forests” and “Cow Bends”: the history and value of small forest islands in the Dutch Polder landscape

Global Challenges (FSW

Vluchten of veranderen: processen van verandering en ontwikkeling bij tribale groepen in Indonesië

LEI Universiteit LeidenEnvironment and Developmen

From sago to rice: changes in cultivation in Siberut, Indonesia

Environment and Developmen

Agarwood: the life of a wounded tree

Agarwood is the infected wood of the Aquilaria tree. Called 'the wood of the Gods', its uses range from incense for religious ceremonies, perfume for the Arabic world, medicinal wine in Korea and ornamental functions in China. As a healthy tree the Aquilaria is worth next to nothing, but wounded its defence mechanisms produce agarwood and the tree becomes a valuable commodity. Gerard Persoon goes in search of the natural and social life of a wounded tree

'It's all the same!': veldwerk en kennisvorming bij het begrijpen en oplossen van milieuproblemen in de Filippijnen

Environment and Developmen

Undoing 'marginality': The islands of the Mahakam Delta, East Kalimantan (Indonesia)

The islands in the delta of the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan have for a very long time been of little interest to anybody. It was a hostile environment for human settlement, exploitable resources were limited and nobody could think of options for alternative forms of land use. The area was classified as ‘marginal or empty land'. Things started to change dramatically in the 1990's when the development of shrimp ponds became an attractive option. Land covered with forests of nipa palms and mangrove trees could be converted into highly profitable shrimp ponds. The demand for shrimps was booming and the delta was a kind of new frontier without any government control. Buginese fishermen and investors started to convert the landscape into extensive shrimp ponds. The financial crisis in Southeast Asia at the end of the 1990's made the export of shrimps in dollars from Indonesia even more profitable because of the enormous inflation of the country's currency. Over the years new settlements were constructed and informal forms of land rights were established. The spirit of ‘regional autonomy' after the fall of President Suharto in 1998 contributed to this development. The discovery in the delta of new fields full of oil and natural gas brought new and powerful actors into the area. As a result of competing claims over land and resources, the formerly ‘marginal and empty lands' became highly contested. At present the provincial government is trying to take control over the delta islands but the gap between formal and informal forms of management is not easy to overcome. The article is based on recent field research in the area as part of the East Kalimantan Project within the framework of research collaboration between Indonesia and the Netherlands.Global Challenges (FSW

The study of the future in anthropology in relation to the sustainability debate

Environment and Developmen

Ifugao migrants in and around the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park

Environment and Developmen

A new silk road: science and society in Asia and Europe

FSW - Global Connections --- Ou

Indigenous peoples in Southeast Asia, sharing knowledge, building capacity, fighting poverty, saving diversity

bookEnvironment and Developmen