When Local Communities Manage Way Kambas National Park's Forest

14 hours ago 13

February 25, 2026 | 03:42 pm

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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dimas Purnama Hasan sped off on his motorbike on Sunday afternoon, January 25, 2026. Moments earlier, the 23-year-old member of the Rahayu Jaya Forest Farmer Group (KTH) had read a message in a WhatsApp group shared by farmers and forest rangers. It reported a hotspot in an area of Way Kambas National Park in Lampung Province.

Riding a small motorcycle modified with hoe-like tires, Dimas cut along a narrow dirt path toward a second watch post about a kilometer away. From the second floor of the wooden stilt hut, he scanned the horizon for smoke. After monitoring the situation for roughly 15 minutes, he returned to the main post. "It's far from Rawa Kidang," he said.

That day, Dimas was on guard duty with 54-year-old Sukatno at a lookout hut—a raised wooden structure about half the size of a volleyball court—inside the Rawa Kidang restoration area of Way Kambas National Park (TNWK). From there, they monitored potential forest fires, illegal hunting, and the movement of Sumatran elephants passing through the rehabilitation zone. The post stood just a stone's throw from Labuhan Ratu VII village.

Guard duty rotated around the clock. Members of the Rahayu Jaya KTH did more than sit watch, they also patrolled the Rawa Kidang area. Their mission was to keep the forest canopy intact. Dense stands of trees stretched across the landscape, darkening the eastern edge of the settlement. Herds of elephants from Way Kambas National Park frequently foraged there.

Read the Complete Story in Tempo English Magazine

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