Karst Rammang-Rammang

The origin of the name Salenrang is derived from the word salendang which means to wrap a cloth or sarong around the back and then tilt it down beside the body of the wearer. Wearing such cloth or sarong has been a tradition of the ancestors of the Salenrang people since ancient times. Everyone from small children, teenagers, young adults, to the elderly enjoys wearing sarongs wrapped from the back to the side. According to the testimony of the elders in Salenrang Village, the first human to live in Salenrang was given the title Dampang Salenrang—therefore, the community and village leaders believe that the first person to live in Salenrang or Dampang Salenrang was one of the five siblings or Toddolimayya Marusu. After that, he, along with his cousin's nephew, the grandson of Barasa, settled in Salenrang, in the Romang Lompoa area, Dusun Rammang-rammang. From that time, they began to establish a settlement. Subsequently, Salenrang became a small kingdom under the Kingdom of Marusu. After Dampang Salenrang passed away, the village leadership was handed over to his nephew whom he had raised since childhood. He was then given the title Dampang II. He later married the daughter of Karaeng Labbakkang. Since then, the people from Labbakang began to enter and settle in Salenrang.

Salenrang is a village where 2/3 of its area is karst land—especially in Rammang-rammang which is almost entirely karst area. The karst mountains are a topography formed by the weathering and erosion processes on limestone or other carbonate rocks. Salenrang Village (Kampung Karst Rammang-rammang) has become one of the tourism icons in South Sulawesi. Rammang-rammang showcases the beautiful panorama of the karst mountain range (limestone mountains). The karst mountains in Rammang-rammang are also among the largest and second most beautiful in the world after the karst area in South China.

The threat of mining targeting karst areas also occurs in Ramang-raman. Previously, there were marble mining company activities in this village and there were seven mining business licenses that were set to operate. The community realized that the activities of the mining company would threaten the existence and sustainability of the karst area. The Salenrang Village community then rejected and requested the company to stop mining and leave the village. The community's struggle to reject the marble mine and the seven Mining Business Licenses (IUP) took about three years. The community used the cultural heritage protection law—because one of the important values of the Rammang-rammang karst is the remnants of ancient human activities in the form of handprints and animal paintings.

Since 2008, the Salenrang Village community, assisted by external organizations such as the Participatory Mapping Service Network (SLPP), WALHI South Sulawesi, the Participatory Mapping Work Network (JKPP), and SSNC—has been advocating for the protection of the Rammang-rammang karst area. After successfully stopping mining activities and successfully urging the Maros Regent to revoke the seven Mining Business Licenses (IUP), the community along with related institutions conducted a series of activities aimed at preserving the karst area in the village. The community and external organizations held village meetings, participatory mapping, advocacy training, and promoted ecotourism. The management of Rammang-rammang tourism is run by the tourism awareness group (Pokdarwis) under the community organization of the Salenrang People's Unity. In the process, the community together with the village government strives to create village regulations regarding the management or ecotourism as part of strengthening the protection of the karst area. Now, Rammang-rammang has become a very popular ecotourism destination even internationally. Through this ecotourism, the village community has also succeeded in conveying a message to everyone who comes to protect the karst area from extractive business activities.

The Rammang-rammang karst plays an important hydrological role, as it provides clean water, maintains groundwater and surface water balance. The exo karst and endo karst ecosystems serve as important habitats for biodiversity, with 1,340 flora and fauna recorded including Macaca maura, Mangrove Crabs, Bats, Swallows, Eagles, and flora such as: Mangroves, Nipa, Bamboo, Rattan, and Teak. In addition, the Rammang-rammang karst has cultural and historical value. It is recorded that there are about 1,250 historical caves and 123 local cultural heritages located in Rammang-rammang.

The initiative to protect this area by the community has successfully warded off sources of environmental damage from extractive businesses. The protection of Rammang-rammang through ecotourism activities has also contributed significantly to increasing the income/economic resources of the community. When designated as an ecotourism area, after the pandemic, the Rammang-rammang Tourism Village was able to stimulate an economic turnover of more than Rp 1.3 billion in a year. One percent goes to the village APD, 5 percent to Pokdarwis, and 94 percent to the community.

The karst mountain area in Rammang-rammang is part of the Maros-Pangkep Area (KKMP)—which has been recognized as part of the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) in 2017 and as one of the World Heritage Sites.