Hutan Tumba

The community currently residing in the Tumba mountainous area consists of people from urban and rural areas such as Gorontalo City, Isimu, Limboto, the Javanese tribe, and residents from Central Sulawesi. They chose to enter the forest area for one purpose, which is to find work to meet their livelihoods—most of those who entered the forest did not have jobs while in the city and decided to fight for their desires and to survive.

At the end of 1999-2000, there were about 40 households, all residents of Gorontalo, who entered the forest to clear agricultural land. A mutual agreement was established within the group on how they could survive while still paying attention to local wisdom. Everyone who opened agricultural land was required to plant trees or perennial crops as a replacement for the trees they had cut down when clearing the land. Each group member could open the forest area as much as they could—some opened 2 hectares or even more.

The types of crops cultivated upon their arrival included coconuts, cloves, cocoa, and durian. This was followed by nutmeg, coffee, avocados, and many more. The clearing of agricultural land at that time was still done using simple tools, such as axes and machetes. The wood they cut down was used as building materials for houses and temporary shelters. To meet their daily basic needs, they cultivated upland rice (tuhelo), tubers as a substitute for rice snacks, and they also managed to cultivate sorghum.

The need for animal protein (fish) was obtained from the market in one of the villages, namely Molohu Tolangohula Village. To reach the village market, they had to walk 15 km. Over time, the number of group members, which initially consisted of 40 households, continued to decrease until only 7 households remained. Most of the others chose to return to their hometowns because they could not adapt to the conditions of the Tumba forest and also to avoid threats and attacks from the Polahi tribe—the indigenous tribe still living in the Tumba forest.

The increase in the population in the Tumba area began with the efforts of Mr. Abdul Mutalib Male (Danggu Nani), who consistently sent letters requesting an increase in the population in Tumba, which at that time was still very small. However, this effort did not receive a response from the village government; instead, the Head of Sidowarjo Village responded to this request by sending some of his community members to join Tumba, even though administratively, Tumba was not part of Sidowarjo Village. They together built the Tumba area to become an agroforestry, silvopastoral, and silvofishery area.

The development of infrastructure in the form of roads has not yet been felt by them. From the beginning until 2015, residents still used the roads they built themselves through mutual cooperation (huyula) and with makeshift tools. In 2014, Danggu Nani requested the Gorontalo Regency Government to build a school building as a learning facility for their children so that they would not fall behind in education. The regency government then responded to the request. In addition, a production warehouse for processing agricultural products in the form of cocoa was also built by the central government and directly given to the farmer group.

As time went by, the community became more productive in managing their agricultural land, thus increasing their welfare level. In just 10 years, the population of Tumba increased rapidly along with the growing need for agricultural land. Therefore, there are rules regarding land clearing established by Danggu Nani. If there is a dispute among Tumba residents regarding agricultural land, Danggu Nani will find a solution.

Based on the story of the initial migration of the community to Tumba Hamlet, the Tumba Forest has become an important area because it is considered the main reason for the community's migration and search for sources of livelihood. Therefore, the Tumba Forest is still protected through generations. The Tumba Forest is an area protected by the Tumba Hamlet community. Within the Tumba Forest, there are rivers that serve as water sources for the local community to meet their daily needs, as irrigation for agricultural land during the dry season, and are also utilized as renewable energy (micro-hydro). There are also several waterfalls that will eventually be utilized as ecotourism areas in Tumba Hamlet. The Tumba Forest is a habitat for various species of wildlife and the presence of various types of biodiversity.

The initiative to protect the forest has actually been carried out through generations. However, this initiative strengthened in 2017 when there was an HTI company that wanted to build a road by opening part of the Tumba Forest area. The community blocked the company's activities in the Tumba forest. If the company insisted on continuing the road construction, there would be resistance from the community. This is one form of the community's commitment to protecting the Tumba Forest. So far, outsiders have a negative stigma towards the Tumba community. The Tumba community is considered an illegal community that likes to destroy the forest, causing floods and landslides. In reality, the Tumba community actually protects the Tumba Forest from damage caused by irresponsible individuals. In their advocacy, the Tumba Hamlet community is accompanied by NGOs to fight for their forest, namely the Agraria Institute and LPPM.

The Tumba Forest, as an area protected by the community—certainly has rules that must be adhered to by anyone, one of which is that opening new agricultural land and cutting down trees within the forest area is not allowed. However, the community also does not have full management rights, because functionally, the Tumba Forest falls within the HTI area managed by the Gorontalo Citra Lestari company, which has obtained a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Nevertheless, there are no regulations from PT. Gorontalo Citra Lestari that restrict the community's access to the Tumba Forest. The company can only utilize it but does not have ownership rights. The community's concerns about forest damage and fear of losing water resources have led the Tumba community to plant perennial crops. This method is also a strategy to resist the HTI companies in their area. From the beginning, they have thought about why they should plant perennial crops because the community is aware that this area is being targeted by HTI companies. After several years of planting, if conflicts arise, the community can use the crops they have planted as a negotiation tool with the company.

The Tumba Forest is protected due to the availability of its water resources. The plan is for the Tumba Forest to be developed into a waterfall tourism site, but it is still hindered by inadequate access roads to the waterfalls. The plan is directed towards agro-tourism—combining nature tourism and agricultural tourism through agroforestry. In the Tumba Forest itself, there are waterfalls, namely: Male 1 waterfall, Male 2 waterfall, and Male 3 waterfall. The name Male comes from the name of one of the existing clans. The community also has a schedule for entering the forest—usually during hunting activities for anoa and babirusas. Currently, there are no written regulations regarding the utilization of natural resources in the Tumba Forest. There is only an unwritten agreement at the community level not to take wood from the forest. In general, the management of the Tumba Forest is under the authority of the hamlet head. Currently, there is no planning and management regarding the Tumba Forest at the village level—and this is a step that needs to be communicated together between the community and the village government. Furthermore, the decision-making mechanism related to the management of the Tumba Forest is conducted through consensus deliberation. The following are the oral rules established by the Tumba Hamlet community:

• New land clearing in the forest area is not allowed, unless the land has been previously cleared.
• Poisoning fish in the river is not allowed.
• The boundary marked by standing trees must not be cut down.
• Wood for household needs can only be taken from one's own agricultural land.

The main reason the Tumba Hamlet community protects the Tumba Forest is that it contains water sources to meet daily needs, serves as irrigation for agricultural land during the dry season, and is also utilized as renewable energy (micro-hydro). There are also several waterfalls that will eventually be utilized as ecotourism areas in Tumba Hamlet. The Tumba Forest is a habitat for various species of wildlife and the presence of various types of biodiversity. Additionally, the protection of the Tumba Forest is closely related to the history and identity of the community—the Tumba Forest has become an important area, the main reason for the community's migration and search for sources of livelihood. Furthermore, the protection of the Tumba Forest also contributes to the preservation of forest ecosystems and biodiversity. The community protects the Tumba Forest from companies that seek to take over forest areas—as we know, the exploitation of forests by companies is exploitative and does not consider environmental conditions. Many types of plants can be found in the Tumba Forest that have medicinal properties, such as: monkey bananas for treating appendicitis and chickenpox. Gandapura as massage oil for relieving aches and colds and helping to ease childbirth. The flora and fauna found around the Tumba Forest will also be protected, some of which are:

Flora:

• Forest orchids
• Woka leaves
• Resin
• Deer antler orchids
• Forest pine
• Champaca
• Fan palms
• Sarai
• Patuhu
• Boyuhu
• Nantu
• Kenanga odorata
• Mahogany
• Rattan
• Leda
• Rao
• Makata
• Pakis aji
• Lamumu
• Forest matoa
• Tahupo

Fauna:

• Babirusas
• Anoa
• Monkeys
• Tangkasi
• Hornbills
• Tarsius
• Sulawesi civet
• Cuscus
• Wild boars
• Snakes
• Wild chickens
• Sulawesi frogs
• Maleo
• Sulawesi mynas
• Sulawesi parrots
• Sandhill cranes
• Red-backed mynas

The Tumba Hamlet community does not yet have a legal basis or specific regulations governing the recognition and protection of rights or the protection of community-managed areas.