Biodiversity science in support of community-led conservation of threatened local forests in Tompotika, Central Sulawesi: Protecting biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate resilient local livelihoods

Country: Indonesia

Lead Partner: Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG), USA

Summary: This project will empower the communities of Tompotika, Sulawesi to protect their forests from the urgent threat of nickel mining concessions and enhance their nature-based livelihoods. The project will collaboratively (1) characterise Tompotika’s plant biodiversity through botanical inventories, species extinction assessments, climate modelling, and key ecosystem services; (2) document traditional ecological and biocultural knowledge to prioritise climate resilient species that support livelihoods and provide important ecosystem services; (3) establish a community-run plant nursery for cultivation of selected species; and (4) disseminate this knowledge to internal and external stakeholders through community education and outreach as well as scientific publications and presentations.

Through a combination of biodiversity science and capacity building, this work will support the collaborative development of conservation proposals and promote the sustainable cultivation of economically important species to alleviate poverty and support climate resilience for the communities of Tompotika.

Photograph (detail): Enrico Kumesan