Living Landscapes, Connected Communities

The Nippon Foundation Fellowships for Asian Public Intellectuals or API FellowshipsProgram was established in 2000 to stimulate the creation of a new pool of engagedintellectuals in the region. It is a partnership of The Nippon Foundation with institutions infive participating countries – Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.Since 2010 Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam have become part of the Program’s scope andMyanmar also began to participate in 2012. The Program’s aims are to promote mutuallearning and cross-boundary engagement among Asian public intellectuals, to articulateviews on social challenges facing the region, and to contribute to the growth of public spacesin which effective responses to regional needs can be generated.

Areca Books is a rapidly-growing niche publisher based in Penang, Malaysia. Its ethoscombines editorial intelligence, research rigor, elegant production and marketing flair,appealing to both popular readers and academic researchers of Malaysia and SoutheastAsia. The imprint has a deserved reputation for pioneering works that celebrate genius lociand sense of place. Its richly-illustrated publications are enduring contributions to the fieldsof cultural heritage, social history, visual arts, and the environment.

Edited by

Justine Vaz and Narumol Aphinives

2014

Culture, Environment, andChange across Asia

This book was produced under the auspices of

API Regional Project

with the generous support of

The Nippon Foundation

Editorial copyright © 2014 Justine Vaz, Narumol Aphinives,Areca Books and API Fellowships ProgramIndividual chapters copyright © 2014 Individual authors

First published in 2014 by Areca Books120 Armenian Street, 10200 Penang, Malaysiawww.arecabooks.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by anymeans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,without the prior permission of the copyright holders.

Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Living landscapes, connected communities: culture, environment, andchange across Asia / Edited by Justine Vaz and Narumol AphinivesIncludes indexISBN 978–967–5719–11–01. Community development—Asia. 2. Natural resources—Asia.I. Vaz, Justine. II. Aphinives, Narumol.307.1412095

Consulting editor • Gareth Richards

Design and layout • Cecilia Mak

Printed by Phoenix Press Sdn Bhd6 Lebuh Gereja, 10200 Penang, MalaysiaPrinted in Malaysia

List of Maps, Figures, Tables, and Musical NotationsList of Abbreviations and AcronymsList of ContributorsList of Photographic CreditsForeword by Tatsuya TanamiPrefaceAcknowledgements

IntrIntrIntrIntrIntroooooductiductiductiductiductiononononon

From the Mountains to the Sea: MakingConnections Across the RegionDicky Sofjan

IIIII Khiriwong, Khiriwong, Khiriwong, Khiriwong, Khiriwong, ThailThailThailThailThailandandandandand

The Enduring Spirit of Khiriwong

Community Governance and Managementof Natural ResourcesThirawuth Senakham and Supa Yaimuang

Belief, Local Wisdom, Nature, andCommunity LifeKokaew Wongphan

Community Initiatives Toward SustainableLivelihoodsCristina P. Lim

Commemoration Rituals and CulturalContinuity in KhiriwongDarunee Tantiwiramanond

Khiriwong Beliefs and Practices in a ChangingWorldTheeraphan Chulakarn

Revisiting the Memory of a Disaster: The WaterChildren ProjectTakako Iwasawa

IIIIIIIIII BiwBiwBiwBiwBiwakakakakako, Japo, Japo, Japo, Japo, Japananananan

Revitalizing Rural Landscapes

Learning from the Mountain Communities ofBiwakoFumio Nagai, Motoko Kawano, Motoko Shimagamiand Wataru Fujita

The Soundscapes of MukugawaMotohide Taguchi

The Satoyama Landscapes as a Social-EcologicalSystem: Insights from Harihata and MukugawaAyame Suzuki

People, Mountain Forests, and Governancein HarihataMyfel Joseph D. Paluga

The Padi Field as a Learning SpaceMotoko Shimagami

Reliving Community Memories withVirtual LandscapesToshiya Takahama

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII Kali CoKali CoKali CoKali CoKali Code, Indonesiade, Indonesiade, Indonesiade, Indonesiade, Indonesia

A River of Dreams

Realizing a Vision for Urban Revitalizationin Kali CodeWidodo Brontowiyono and Ribut Lupiyanto

CONTENTS

viiiixxi

xviiixx

xxiixxv

1

9

10

19

26

33

40

43

47

48

69

70

84

96

100

103

104

vi LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Pemerti Kali Code: Grassroots Initiatives for anAlternative Environmental FutureTotok Pratopo

Belief, Nature, and Society in a Sacred LandscapeKamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad

A New Collective Identity for the UrbanCommunity of Kali CodeDwi Any Marsiyanti

Code Purnama Hatiku (Code, the Full Moon of myHeart): In Search of Home Through MusicTomoko Momiyama

Spirit of Kali Code: Collaboration of Dance,Music, Folk Theater, and Wayang PaintingMichi Tomioka

IVIVIVIVIV TTTTTaaaaasik Chini, Msik Chini, Msik Chini, Msik Chini, Msik Chini, Malalalalalaaaaaysiaysiaysiaysiaysia

An Ecosystem Under Pressure

Tasik Chini: A Wetland WonderlandKam Suan Pheng

Sajak Chini / Poems from ChiniMuhammad Haji Salleh

The Story of How the Lake was CreatedSimoi bt Seng and Abas bin Leman

Impacts on Life and Livelihood: EnvironmentalChange through the Eyes of the CommunityPenchom Saetang and Karnt Thassanaphak

Pantun Tasik Chini / Lake Chini PantunNoorhayati Abdullah

The Lake, the Weir, and a Tragic Tale ofUnintended ConsequencesHenry Chan, Adnan A. Hezri and Justine Vaz

An Encounter with a Traditional HealerMichi Tomioka

From Blowpipes to Biosfera: Observationson Culture and ChangeJose Estuar

Jungle Trekking at Tasik ChiniZawiah Yahya

Confronting the Crisis, Facing the FutureKam Suan Pheng, Henry Chan, Adnan A. Hezriand Justine Vaz

VVVVV BaBaBaBaBatttttanes, anes, anes, anes, anes, The PThe PThe PThe PThe Philipphilipphilipphilipphilippinesinesinesinesines

Spirituality and Sustainability in a Sacred Place

Traditional Summer Fishing in BatanesSirirat Katanchaleekul and Henry Chan

Sacred versus the Secular: The Decline ofMataw Fishing?Dave Lumenta

Seasonal Ritual and the Regulation of FishingMaria F. Mangahas

Tradition Reimagined: Local GovernmentInfluences in Mataw Fishing and theirImplications for SustainabilityRosalie Arcala Hall

121

127

132

136

142

147

148

158

160

161

170

171

174

176

178

179

187

188

195

199

205

viiLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Women’s Lives in Diura, MahataoCristina P. Lim

Moved by the Island: Dancing in SabtangJoyce Lim Suan Li

A Traditional Laji SongMotohide Taguchi

Maywang a Libro Du Vatan, or “The Blank BookArchives Project” by the Artist, Jay TicarRosalie Arcala Hall

VIVIVIVIVI Rethinking HuRethinking HuRethinking HuRethinking HuRethinking Hummmmman–Ecoan–Ecoan–Ecoan–Ecoan–Ecolllllogiogiogiogiogicalcalcalcalcal

BalBalBalBalBalanceanceanceanceance

Innovative Practices for Safeguarding CulturalLandscapes in Asia: Watershed Villages in Japanand ThailandWimonrart Issarathumnoon

The Rights of Indigenous People andEnvironmental Governance in PeninsularMalaysiaYonariza and Justine Vaz

Using Local Knowledge for Disaster RiskReduction: Experiences from Thailand andIndonesiaEkoningtyas Margu Wardani and Justine Vaz

Collaborative Disaster Risk Managementin Kali CodeTrias Aditya

Asian Ecology and Knowledge of the Sacred:Communal Rituals, Cultural Meaning, andCommunity InventivenessDicky Sofjan

Traditional Music as a Medium of CollectiveMemories: Cases from Batanes and BiwakoMotohide Taguchi

A Question of Balance? Non-Linear Change,Ecology, and GovernanceAdnan A. Hezri

The Challenges of Building a Community:A ReflectionDanilo Francisco M. Reyes and Yeoh Seng Guan

The Force of InterconnectednessSombath Somphone

ConclusiConclusiConclusiConclusiConclusiononononon

Ecologies of Hope Across Contemporary AsiaJustine Vaz

Glossary of termsIndex

215

219

222

223

226

227

237

250

260

265

272

283

292

297

302

323326

viii LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Maps1.1 Khiriwong2.1 The Ado River basin west of Biwako3.1 Kali Code4.1 Tasik Chini5.1 Natural and cultural heritage zones, Batan

island, Batanes6.1 Mt Merapi eruption: population living within

the safety zone, 20 km6.2 Impact of cold lava flood on Kali Code6.3 Nationwide distribution of textual variants of

Mukugawa ondo songs in Japan, with mainroads and sea trading routes in the eighteenthand nineteenth centuries

6.4 Regional distribution of textual variants ofMukugawa ondo songs with main roads in theeighteenth and nineteenth centuries

Figures1.1 Relations in the communal property regime1.2 Suan som rom cultivation season2.1 Abandoned farmland, 1995, 2000, and 2005

(1,000 ha and %)2.2 Social-ecological systems in Kutsuki before the

1950s2.3 Population of Kutsuki, 1940–20042.4 Share of domestic and imported timber, 1955–

20082.5 Timber prices, 1955–20082.6 Population in the agricultural sector in

Takashima city by age group, 20052.7 Abandoned farmland in Takashima city,

1995–2007 (ha)2.8 The fluctuating satoyama landscape since the

1950s2.9 Traditional village–forest relations

2.10 Landscape perception of dwelling spaces ofhumans and animals

2.11 Difference in village-level characteristics ofcommunities

2.12 Intervillage symbiotic relations and the AdoRiver–Biwako nexus

6.1 Balanced development model6.2 Boom: unbalanced growth and development

is unstable and under stress6.3 Bust: collapsing to readjust

Tables5.1 Sacred and secular styles of fishing, Batanes6.1 Contemporary natural resources exploitation

in Tasik Chini, Pahang6.2 Mt Merapi eruption as it unfolded6.3 Examples of local and imported materials

used to make and repair instruments

Musical Notations6.1 Melody of laji in Savidug6.2 Melody of the Mukugawa ondo

MAPS, FIGURES, TABLES, AND MUSICAL NOTATIONS

1149

105149189

255

263275

276

132172

74

7475

7577

77

78

85

85

88

90

299300

300

195241

254277

273274

ixLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

API The Nippon Foundation Fellowships forAsian Public Intellectuals

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations

BLH Balai Lingkungan Hidup [EnvironmentalInstitute] (Indonesia)

°C degrees Celsius

CBD United Nations Convention on BiologicalDiversity

CD compact disc

CIDA Canadian International DevelopmentAgency

COAC Center for Orang Asli Concerns(Malaysia)

CVGHM Center of Volcanology and GeologicalHazard Mitigation (Indonesia)

DENR Department of Environment and NaturalResources (Philippines)

DepEd Batanes Department of Education, Division ofBatanes (Philippines)

EMRIP Expert Mechanism on the Rights ofIndigenous Peoples

FELCRA Federal Land Consolidation andRehabilitation Authority (Malaysia)

FMCU Forum Masyarakat Code Utara [NorthCode Community Forum] (Indonesia)

GCC Gerakan Cinta Code [Love CodeMovement] (Indonesia)

GIS geographic information systems

GNH gross national happiness

GNP gross national product

GPS global positioning system

ha hectare

HFA Hyogo Framework for Action

HMA Hilly and mountainous area

IOM International Organization for Migration

IPRA Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act(Philippines)

ISI Institut Seni Indonesia Yogyakarta[Indonesian Institute of the ArtsYogyakarta]

IUCN International Union for Conservation ofNature

JAKOA Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli Malaysia[Department for Orang Asli Development,Malaysia]

JKOASM Jaringan Kampung Orang AsliSemenanjung Malaysia [Orang AsliVillages Network in Peninsular Malaysia]

JOANGOHutan Network of Indigenous Peoples andNGOs on Forest Issues (Malaysia)

JOAS Jaringan Orang Asal Se-Malaysia[Indigenous People’s Network of Malaysia]

kg kilogram

km kilometer

LDP Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)

LKFT Lembaga Kerjasama Fakultas Teknik[Cooperation Institution of the Faculty ofEngineering] (Indonesia)

LTER long-term ecological monitoring

m meter

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

x LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

MAB Man and the Biosphere

ml milliliter

MNS Malaysian Nature Society

NCR native customary rights

NGO non-governmental organization

PADETC Participatory Development TrainingCentre (Laos)

PATA Pacific Asia Travel Association

PU Departemen Pekerjaan Umum[Department of Public Works] (Indonesia)

RISDA Rubber Industry SmallholdersDevelopment Authority (Malaysia)

RM Malaysian ringgit

RW rukun warga [neighborhood association](Indonesia)

SUHAKAM Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Malaysia [HumanRights Commission of Malaysia]

SUSDEN Sustainable Development Network(Malaysia)

TCRC Tasik Chini Research Centre (Malaysia)

TKPS Team Komunitas Pinggiran Sungai[Riverside Community Team] (Indonesia)

TPP Trans-Pacific Partnership

UAJY Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta(Indonesia)

UAV unmanned aerial vehicle

UGM Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia)

UII Universitas Islam Indonesia

UKDW Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana(Indonesia)

UNCHR United Nations Commission on HumanRights

UNDP United Nations Development Program

UNDRIP United Nations General Declaration onthe Rights of Indigenous Peoples

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization

UPEN Unit Perancang Ekonomi Negeri [StateEconomic Planning Unit] (Malaysia)

USA United States of America

UTY Universitas Teknologi Yogyakarta(Indonesia)

WGIP UN Working Group on IndigenousPopulations

WWF World Wide Fund for Nature

xiLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS

Abas bin Leman is a member of theJakun indigenous community fromKampung Melai, a small village nearTasik Chini, Malaysia. He is a farmer andrubber smallholder. Together with hiswife, Simoi bt Seng, he is often asked torecount the traditional tales and legendsof the area that are closely linked withthe surrounding environment.

Trias Aditya is a lecturer in the Depart-ment of Geodetic and Geomatics Engi-neering, Gadjah Mada University,Indonesia, where his teaching areas in-clude the management of infrastructureand community development, geoinfor-mation for disaster management, andspatial planning, as well as the study pro-gram in natural disaster management. Hecompleted his PhD in geoinformatics atUtrecht University, the Netherlands. Hiscurrent research interests focus on 3Dcadastre, spatial data infrastructure,geovisualization, and participatory map-ping. His recent publications include in-ternational papers on spatial datainfrastructure to support volcanic riskmanagement, and participatory mappingfor neighborhood infrastructure planning.

Narumol Aphinives is a consultant spe-cializing in environmental education andsustainable development projects. She hasbeen involved in designing and imple-menting numerous initiatives in SoutheastAsia over the past 20 years. She was aneditor and a writer for Creating Environ-mental Education for Sustainable Develop-

ment in Schools, commissioned by the Min-istry of Natural Resources and Environ-ment in Thailand, and was also aconsultant for the accompanying trainingprogram. She was previously the execu-tive director of Amnesty InternationalThailand, a member of the board of direc-tors and general manager of the GreenWorld Foundation, as well as a journalist.

Widodo Brontowiyono is a founder andlecturer of the Environmental EngineeringDepartment, Islamic University of Indo-nesia, Yogyakarta, as well as the directorof the Center for Climate Change and Dis-aster Studies, and director for Researchand Community Services at the same uni-versity. He completed his graduate stud-ies at the University of Texas at SanAntonio, USA, and Karlsruhe Institute ofTechnology, Germany. His research con-centrates on water resources and environ-mental management. He is also active asa writer for journals and newspapers. Hismost recent book is Water Resources Vul-nerability and Rainwater Harvesting, Learn-ing from Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2012).

Kamaruzzaman Bustamam-Ahmad is alecturer at the State Institute for IslamicStudies (IAIN) Ar-Raniry, Banda Aceh,Indonesia, and was a visiting research fel-low at the Academy of Islamic Studies,University of Malaya. He completed hisPhD in anthropology at La Trobe Univer-sity, Australia. His research focuses on theanthropology of Islamic culture and thesociology of religion in Southeast Asia,

and he is engaged in an ongoing projecton Malay identity in the historical rela-tions between Aceh and Penang. His lat-est publications include Acehnologi (2012),Islamic Studies and Islamic Education inContemporary Southeast Asia (coeditedwith Patrick Jory, 2011), Wahdatul Wujud(2013), and Islamic Thought in SoutheastAsia: New Interpretations and Movements(coedited with Patrick Jory, 2013).

Henry Chan is the head of conservationin Sarawak for the World Wide Fund forNature (WWF) Malaysia. He was previ-ously head of social initiatives and envi-ronmental impact assessment at theSarawak Forestry Corporation, and a so-cioeconomic advisor to the Malaysian–German Technical Cooperation Programon Sustainable Forest Management. Hehas conducted research among indig-enous peoples in Indonesia, Malaysia,and Thailand. His main research interestsare human ecology, resource tenure, andconflict resolution. He holds a PhD insocial sciences from the University of Hel-sinki, Finland.

Theeraphan Chulakarn studied agricul-tural technology at Walailak University,Thailand, and then worked at the univer-sity. He played a major role in the resto-ration of Khiriwong after the catastrophicdisaster in 1988 and was a committeemember of several community groups. Heundertook a number of research projectson issues such as people’s participationin sustainable watershed management,

xii LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

and community-based ecotourism man-agement. The Thailand Research Fundcited his paper, “The study of belief, ritu-als and stories to promote the spirit ofnatural resource conservation of theKhiriwong villagers,” as the best researchaward in 2006. Theeraphan Chulakarnpassed away in 2009.

Jose Atanacio L. Estuar currently headsthe Eastern Twinstars Foundation thatengages in social enterprise research anddevelopment in “frontier areas” or geo-graphically hard-to-reach areas withpockets of economically challenged andsocially excluded populations. His careeras a development professional began withvolunteer service in 1991. This eventuallyled to stints with local and internationalnon-governmental organizations in thefields of microfinance, livelihoods, andsocial enterprise.

Wataru Fujita is a political ecologist whofocuses on Southeast Asia. He holds a PhDin Southeast Asian area studies from KyotoUniversity, Japan. He has conducted fieldresearch in Kalimantan (Indonesia),Sarawak (Malaysia), and northeast Thai-land, on the relationship of socio-politicalstructures of forest management policyand their impact on local people’s subsist-ence. His current research examineschanges in modes of local people’s percep-tions and natural resource use as a resultof democratization in Southeast Asia.

Rosalie Arcala Hall is a professor of

political science at the University of thePhilippines Visayas. She obtained her PhDin public and international affairs fromNortheastern University, USA. Her re-search on post-conflict civil–military rela-tions has involved extensive fieldwork inAceh (Indonesia), Dili (Timor Leste), andMindanao (Philippines). She is currentlyworking on research projects with US andEuropean collaborators on military merg-ers, asymmetric warfare, and Muslimwomen in the security forces, and recentlypublished on the role of the local militaryin Philippine Political Science Journal.

Adnan A. Hezri is a senior fellow at theInstitute of Strategic and InternationalStudies (ISIS), Malaysia. He is currently avisiting fellow at the Fenner School ofEnvironment and Society, Australian Na-tional University, where he earlier at-tained his PhD in public policy. He has 15years experience in research and policyadvocacy on sustainable development is-sues, specializing is comparative environ-mental policy, and dealing with areas suchas the green economy, climate change ad-aptation, and policy integration forsustainability. His most recent publicationis Towards a Green Economy: In Search ofSustainable Energy Policies for the Future(coedited with Wilhelm Hofmeister, 2012).

Wimonrart Issarathumnoon is an assist-ant professor at the Faculty of Architec-ture, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.She obtained a PhD from the Departmentof Urban Engineering, University of

Tokyo, Japan. Her main research interestis architectural and urban conservation,focusing particularly on public participa-tion in heritage management and plan-ning. Her recent publications include astudy of regeneration in a Japanese uplandvillage cultural landscape, and an exami-nation of the role of the traditional urbancommunity in Bangkok’s heritage core.

Takako Iwasawa is an associate profes-sor in the Department of Fine Arts andMusic, Hokkaido University of Educa-tion, Iwamizawa campus, Japan. She hasundertaken long-term research on theethnomusicology and ethnochoreographyof both traditional and contemporaryperforming arts in Thailand, includingNakhon Si Thammarat. She has con-ducted a study on community dance inJapan, examining dance as a tool of com-munity engagement and empowerment.

Kam Suan Pheng is a senior scientist atWorldFish, Malaysia. She specializes inintegrative approaches for natural re-sources assessment, planning, and man-agement through the use of geospatialtechnologies in combination with sys-tems modeling, and implemented inmultidisciplinary research modes. Shehas developed geographical informationsystems applications for, and publishedon, topics related to coastal resourcesevaluation and zoning, land use plan-ning, agro-ecological analysis, physicalaccessibility analysis, poverty mapping,and recommendation domains for tar-

xiiiLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

geted agricultural and aquaculture tech-nologies. She is the coeditor of TropicalDeltas and Coastal Zones: Food Production,Communities and Environment at the Land–Water Interface (2010).

Sirirat Katanchaleekul is an independentresearcher with a keen interest in ethnog-raphy and cultural identity, having stud-ied at Walailak University, Thailand. HerAPI fellowship took her on a journey toresearch the “sea people” – seafaring eth-nic communities of southern Thailand,Malaysia, and Indonesia. She is presentlyengaged as a document editor for the Na-tional Cultural and Creative IP ResourcesCreation Project. In addition, she operatesa sound studio that produces independ-ent contemporary music in Thai.

Motoko Kawano is a research associateand faculty member at the NationalGraduate Institute for Policy Studies(GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan. She teaches agraduate course on economic planningand public policy for Indonesian officials,and is involved in several researchprojects such as the GRIPS Global COEProgram “Transferability of East Asiandevelopment and state building.” Sheholds a PhD in area studies from KyotoUniversity, Japan. Her main research in-terest is in development and politics indeveloping countries, particularly South-east Asia. As an editorial contributor sherecently published “Biwako: Learningfrom the Mountain Communities of theLake Catchment” (2011).

Cristina P. Lim is currently the directorof the Social Science Research Center ofAteneo de Naga University, Philippines,where she teaches economics and envi-ronment-related subjects in the Depart-ment of Social Sciences. Having studiedat Kagoshima University, Japan, and theUniversity of the Philippines at LosBaños, she has done extensive researchworks on gender, natural resources man-agement, urban poor issues, migration,small-scale fisheries, governance, pov-erty, and child labor. She has publishedlocally and internationally. She is alsoactively engaged in community develop-ment efforts particularly with the urbanpoor, rural farmers, and fishers.

Joyce Lim Suan Li is a Malaysian-bornteacher, choreographer, performer, andNoh musician. She divides her time be-tween Asia and the USA, where she stud-ies with masters of traditional dance andperforms in a range of spaces. She is amember of Tesarugaku-no-kai, a Noh per-forming group based in Tokyo, and Thea-tre Nohgaku, a company that creates andperforms both new works and traditionalNoh. She is currently teaching at the NohTraining Project in Pennsylvania, USA.

Dave Lumenta is an associate researcherat the Center for Anthropological Stud-ies, University of Indonesia, where he iscoordinator of the research cluster onTransnational Interconnections, Mobilityand Social Dynamics at Interstitial StateSpaces. He completed a PhD at the

Graduate School of Asian and AfricanArea Studies, Kyoto University, Japan.His main research focus is the social his-tory of the borderlands in Indonesia andsurrounding Southeast Asian countries.His other interests include sound design,progressive jazz composition, and ethno-graphic photography.

Ribut Lupiyanto is a researcher at theCenter for Environmental Studies, IslamicUniversity of Indonesia, having studiedenvironmental science at Gadjah MadaUniversity, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Hisresearch interests encompass the study ofenvironmental-carrying capacities andregional development. He has publishedwidely on issues such as environmentalresponses to earthquakes, the role of lo-cal politics in relation to global warming,and case studies of urban improvementsin the context of climate change.

Maria F. Mangahas is an associate pro-fessor in the Department of Anthropology,University of the Philippines Diliman. Sheearned her PhD in social anthropologyfrom Cambridge University, UK. Her re-search interests focus on the anthropologyof fishing and on media anthropology(more specifically digital piracy and thecirculation of “scandals”). She teachescourses in economic anthropology, eco-logical anthropology, and museology. Shehas published extensively on the fishingculture of Batanes province, Philippines.She is currently editor of AghamTao, thejournal of Ugnayang Pang-AghamTao

xiv LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

(Anthropological Association of the Phil-ippines).

Dwi Any Marsiyanti is an anthropolo-gist who graduated from the Universityof Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She isthe coordinator of the Research Depart-ment of Roromendoet Indonesia inYogyakarta, Indonesia. She is currentlya member of the advisory board of theSiemenpuu Foundation in Finland, a do-nor for forestry projects in Indonesia. Hermain concerns are social justice, humanrights, gender and children’s issues, en-vironment, and disaster risk manage-ment and reduction. She dedicates her lifeto disempowered people, and this is re-flected in her close relationships with allthe communities where she works.

Tomoko Momiyama is a music com-poser, dramaturge, and producer of multi-disciplinary art events, installations, andperformances currently based in Tokyo,Japan, having graduated from StanfordUniversity, USA. Her community-basedand site-specific works have been pre-sented throughout Japan, as well as inAsia, Europe, and the USA. She weavesthe folk music of contemporary societiesby intervening in the relationship betweenpeople and their environments, and en-gaging people from various backgroundsin the collective processes. She has re-ceived numerous commissions and invi-tations to perform from around the world.

Muhammad Haji Salleh teaches com-

parative literature at Universiti Sains Ma-laysia, Penang. He has taught in Malay-sia, the USA, Germany, the Netherlands,and Brunei, and has been a fellow inmany learned institutes, including in Ja-pan and the USA. He has published 12collections of poetry and more than 30books of criticism, translation, and an-thologies. Among his major poetry collec-tions in Malay are Perjalanan Si TenggangII, Sajak-sajak Sejarah Melayu, Salju Shibuya,Meraih Ruang and Setitik Darah di BilikBundar; while in English they includeTime and Its People, Beyond the Archipelagoand Rowing Down Two Rivers. He was alsothe editor of Tenggara, Journal of SoutheastAsian Literature for over 25 years. He is aNational Laureate of Malaysia.

Fumio Nagai is a political scientist, spe-cializing in Thai politics and administra-tion, as well as international relations inSoutheast Asia. After studies at KyotoUniversity, Japan, he worked at theCenter for Southeast Asian Studies,Kyoto University as a research associate,and is now a professor and deputy deanat the Graduate School of Law, OsakaCity University. His current researchinterest focuses on comparative decen-tralization in Southeast Asia. His recentpublications include Changing Local Gov-ernment and Governance in Southeast Asia(coedited with Tsuruyo Funatsu, 2012).

Noorhayati Abdullah has long been ac-tive in her community of Tasik Chini,Malaysia. She is a founding member of

Chini Herb Enterprise, where she workswith other women from the Jakun com-munity to gather medicinal plants fromthe forest and process them for sale. Shewas encouraged by a prominent scholarto take up writing poetry as a way of ex-pressing her feelings about her people,and the social and environmental chal-lenges they face. She has previously beeninvolved in an action project to safeguardtraditional botanical knowledge.

Myfel Joseph D. Paluga is an anthro-pologist and assistant professor at theDepartment of Social Science, Universityof the Philippines Mindanao. His mainarea of research is indigenous socio-po-litical systems and the diverse cultural at-titudes toward animals in Southeast Asia.He is currently conducting research onthe health and medical practices of theindigenous people of Mindanao.

Totok Pratopo is the chairperson ofPemerti Kali Code, Yogyakarta, Indone-sia, the main community organizationaddressing social and environmental con-cerns in the riverbank settlements of KaliCode. He has been a community organ-izer since 2001. In recognition of his con-tributions, he has received several awardsincluding the Habitat Award from theMinister of Indonesian Public Works(2002); the Kalpataru Award from thegovernor of the Special Region ofYogyakarta (2004); and, the City MayorAward under the environment category(2008).

xvLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Danilo Francisco M. Reyes is an assist-ant professor of literature, cultural stud-ies, and creative writing at the School ofHumanities, Ateneo de Manila Univer-sity, the Philippines. He has also taughtat Universitas Sanata Dharma inYogyakarta, Indonesia, and at the Insti-tute of Asian Studies, ChulalongkornUniversity, Thailand. He is a poet, essay-ist, and translator. Promising Lights, hisfirst book of poems, was shortlisted forthe National Book Awards, and he is cur-rently at work on a second book of po-ems as well as a collection of short fiction.He has researched and published on as-pects of globalization, cultural studies,folklore studies, the development of fic-tion, and the visual arts, including a bib-liographic catalogue of Filipina writers.

Penchom Saetang is a citizen advocate inThailand, working with local communi-ties to raise awareness of a number ofpressing issues, notably the health andenvironmental impact of hazardouswaste, as well the underlying corruptionbehind industrial pollution management.She was a founder of the Campaign forAlternative Industry Network, an environ-mental advocacy group, and is director ofEcological Alert and Recovery–Thailand(EARTH), which advances the goals of en-vironmental and social justice protection.She also contributes to the work of the ThaiWorking Group for Climate Justice, estab-lished to raise public awareness on climatechange-related problems and to contrib-

ute to national climate-related policy for-mulation, especially mitigation and adap-tation issues.

Thirawuth Senakham is an assistant pro-fessor in the Cultural Studies Depart-ment, Walailak University, Nakhon SiThammarat, Thailand. She received herPhD in political science from ThammasatUniversity, Thailand, and has a particu-lar research interest in diasporic commu-nities. Her recent books as author, editorand contributor include On Ethnicity(2004), Transnational Anthropology (2006),Looking Forward and Backward on PopularCulture (2006), Visiting the Thai Diasporain Myanmar (2007), and Border Moved, WeBeing Diaspora: Bare Life of the ThaiDiaspora (2007).

Motoko Shimagami is an associate pro-fessor at the Six-University Initiative Ja-pan Indonesia (SUIJI) Promotion Office,Ehime University, Japan, and co-chairper-son of the non-governmental organizationi-i-network, which specializes in researchand action for community governance.She leads several community-based re-search and educational projects linkingIndonesia and Japan. She is an editorialcontributor to the report “Biwako: Learn-ing from the Mountain Communities ofthe Lake Catchment” (2011), while recentpublications in English include “An IriaiInterchange Linking Japan and Indonesia:An Experiment in Interactive Learningand Action Leading toward Community-Based Forest Management” (2009).

Simoi bt Seng comes from KampungMelai, one of the smaller Jakun villagesin Tasik Chini, Malaysia. As a child, shewould listen intently to the stories of thelake that were told to her by her grand-parents. Today, she is one of the few re-maining storytellers who remember theoral traditions of previous generations.

Dicky Sofjan is a core doctoral facultymember at the Indonesian Consortiumfor Religious Studies (ICRS), based inGadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, In-donesia. He holds a PhD in political sci-ence, and was the API Regional Projectmanager. His main research areas includeIslam, Muslim politics, religion, and con-temporary issues. Having worked for anumber of international organizations, hehas extensive experience in strategic com-munication, social marketing, and re-source mobilization. He is also thefounder/chairman of INA Frontier (In-donesian Learning and Social Enterprise),a Yogyakarta-based organization of intel-lectual-activists working in the areas ofeducation, training, and social enterprise.

Sombath Somphone is the executive di-rector of Participatory DevelopmentTraining Centre (PADETC), which hefounded in 1996 to foster sustainable, eq-uitable, and self-reliant development inLaos, having earned degrees in educationand agriculture from the University ofHawaii. He has led PADETC to empha-size eco-friendly technologies andmicroenterprises in many diverse ways;

xvi LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

it is now designing new child-centeredlesson plans for primary schools. In 2005,he was honored with the prestigiousRamon Magsaysay Award for Commu-nity Leadership in recognition of his ef-forts to promote sustainable development,especially for his work with young peo-ple through leadership programs.

Ayame Suzuki is a lecturer at FukuokaWomen’s University, Japan, having pre-viously been a research fellow of the Ja-pan Society for the Promotion of Science.She obtained her PhD in internationalrelations at the University of Tokyo. Herresearch interests include the politicaleconomy of East Asia, law and politics,and the relationship between finance andpolitics. Her recent publications includeMinshu Seiji no Jiyu to Chitsujo: MalaysiaSeijitaisei-ron no Saikouchiku [Freedomand Order in “Democracies”: Reconsid-ering Malaysia’s Political Regime] (2010).

Motohide Taguchi is a composer basedin Japan. His compositions have been pre-sented not only in Japan, but also in Asiaand Europe. Since early in his career, hehas investigated the possibilities of uti-lizing elements of Japanese and Asian tra-ditional music in his works. This led himto conduct research on Southeast Asiancomposers sharing the same tendencies,to introduce their works to Japan, and tojoin contemporary music festivals in theregion. Recently, his creative activitieshave broadened to cover music makingworkshops and sound installations.

Toshiya Takahama is an artist and a pro-fessor at the Printmaking Division of theDepartment of Painting at Musashino ArtUniversity, Tokyo, Japan, where he pre-viously completed graduate studies. Hehas held several major solo and group ex-hibitions in Japan and other Asian coun-tries, and is particularly known for hisprintmaking and art installations. His re-cent work focuses on the relationship be-tween the artist and the different placeswhere people live and work.

Tatsuya Tanami is the executive direc-tor of The Nippon Foundation, Japan,having formerly served as the director ofits International Program Department.He previously had a long career with theInternational House of Japan, and is oneof the leading figures in the organizationand administration of international cul-tural and academic exchange programs.He has published on the role of Asian in-tellectuals, the history of international ex-change, and intellectual networks andcivil society. He was honored as the tenthWittenberg Fellow (2004), and is a mem-ber of the Japanese Association of Stud-ies on International Relations.

Darunee Tantiwiramanond is an inde-pendent researcher based inPathumthani, Thailand. She has re-searched the growth of women’s leader-ship and participation in civil society inSoutheast Asia, and is active in variouscivil society initiatives to advance the sta-tus of women and girls in Thailand. She

has served as a member of the Civil Soci-ety and Human Rights Coalition of Thai-land, and prepared a report on the statusof gender equality and human rights inThailand for the United Nations. Sincethe great flood of Bangkok and environsin 2011, she has been involved in a socialenterprise project promoting direct link-ages between organic food producers andpatients as well as general health-con-scious consumers.

Karnt Thassanaphak is a poet, writer,editor, photographer, and artist in vari-ous fields (using both his real name andpen name “Karnt Na Karnt”), and livesin Thailand. At the same time, his workis used to support and participate in theactivities of various social movements.He has conducted research on the art ofthe “campaign media” in the Philippinesand Malaysia, examining the interface be-tween artists and media producers inter-acting with social movements.

Michi Tomioka is a research fellow at theUrban Research Plaza, Osaka City Uni-versity, Japan. She has spent extensive pe-riods in Java learning and practicingtraditional Javanese dance under SriSuciati Djoko Suhardjo, S. Pamardi, andSulistyo Tirtokusumo, and has partici-pated in many dance productions as adancer, choreographer, and producer.She is particularly interested in theemerging changes and the evolution ofJavanese dance in the era of Indonesianindependence. She recently published a

xviiLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

paper on “Women’s Dances from theJavanese Court” (2012).

Justine Vaz is an independent researcherbased in Malaysia, with extensive expe-rience as a conservation practitioner andenvironmental consultant, specifically fo-cusing on forest-dependent communities,indigenous knowledge, resource man-agement, and customary tenure. Sheholds a degree in geographical and envi-ronmental studies from the University ofAdelaide, Australia. She has recentlycompleted a review of indigenous andcommunity-conserved areas in Sabah,Malaysia; contributed to drafting a newstate strategy for biodiversity conserva-tion; and is involved in developing a planfor community management of an urbanforest reserve in partnership with the lo-cal forestry authority. She has publishedon nature, conservation, and contempo-rary land use issues.

Ekoningtyas Margu Wardani is a re-searcher at the Center for Asia and PacificStudies, Gadjah Mada University, Indone-sia. She is pursuing a PhD at the Instituteof Cultural Anthropology and Develop-ment Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences,Leiden University, the Netherlands. Sheworks on several research and communityengagement projects – including in Indo-nesia, the Philippines, and Thailand – inwhich her interests focus on food security,indigenous people, economic anthropol-ogy, environmental economics, disasterrisk reduction, and sustainable livelihoods.

Kokaew Wongphan is an independent re-searcher, now working on Burmese mi-grant workers’ associations in southernThailand with the Cross-Ethnic Integrationin Andaman Project. She is engaged in herown research study on the relationshipsbetween Burmese ethnic groups, based inPhang Nga province, southern Thailand.She is a volunteer with an environmentalnetwork in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Supa Yaimuang is the director of the Sus-tainable Agriculture Foundation, Thai-land. She works with farmers’organizations to promote sustainable ag-riculture to the rural community as wellas supporting city farms for urban com-munities. She has conducted community-based research and farmer-to-farmereducation in relation to changes in ruralcommunities, biodiversity and farmers’rights, food systems and food security,climate change, and adaptation in the ag-ricultural sector. Her recent publicationshave focused on food security indicatorsand the preservation of biodiversity.

Yeoh Seng Guan is a senior lecturer atthe School of Arts and Social Sciences,Monash University, Sunway campus,Malaysia. He holds a PhD from the Uni-versity of Edinburgh, UK. He is an ur-ban anthropologist who works primarilyon the interfaces between cities, religion,media, and civil society in Southeast Asia.He also has an interest in visual ethnog-raphy, and has done fieldwork in Malay-sia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. He is

the editor of Media, Culture and Society inMalaysia (2010) and The Other KualaLumpur (2014), and has book chapters inThe Spirit of Things: Materiality in an Ageof Religious Pluralism in Southeast Asia(2012) and Figures of Southeast Asian Mo-dernity (2013).

Yonariza is a professor in forest resourcesmanagement at Andalas University,Padang, Indonesia. He obtained his PhDin natural resources management fromthe Asian Institute of Technology, Thai-land. His research interests include thedecentralization of forest management,forest restoration, and natural resourcesmanagement from the perspective of le-gal pluralism and common propertystudies. His research on a post-loggingban on timber tree planting in SoutheastAsia was recently published by the South-east Asian Regional Center for GraduateStudy and Research in Agriculture.

Zawiah Yahya is principal fellow at theInstitute of Occidental Studies, UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia, where she hasbeen head of department, faculty dean,and professor in postcolonial studies andcritical theory. Her most recent publica-tions include Reading Approaches in MalayLiterature: Theory in the Making (2010) and“Western Text in Uncolonised Context:English Studies in Japan and Thailand”(2009–2010). Her current research inter-est deals with Western constructs ofknowledge about Malaysia through lit-erary, film, and social media discourses.

xviii LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

The photographs appearing on thefollowing pages are reproduced bykind permission of the photographerslisted below.

Elis Zuliati Anis xxv, 104 (right), 115(bottom), 121 (bottom right), 130,131, 270

Ayesha Harben & Associates 180

Widodo Brontowiyono 119, 120, 260

Nana Buxani 57, 81 (left), 94

Center for New Cinema xix, xxvi, 1,48, 51 (below), 208 (top left), 247(left), 287

Henry Chan xxvii (bottom right),150, 152 (center, bottom), 153, 154(left), 167 (center), 172 (top, bottomleft), 173, 177 (right), 191 (top,center right), 192, 193, 194(bottom), 197 (top, bottom), 198,206 (bottom), 207, 210, 213 (top),216 (top), 220, 221 (right), 242, 268(below), 289, 302, 309 (middle,bottom), 311 (left)

Victor Chin 146, 153 (bottom right),155, 158, 160, 168, 174

Nick Deocampo 4, 10, 15(mangosteen), 34 (bottom left), 36,52 (top), 58, 62, 121 (left), 126, 151,169, 177, 178, 179 (left), 191 (centerleft), 194, 196 (top), 201, 202, 206(top), 267 (below), 268 (above), 309(top)

Mizuki Endo 100 (left)

Jose Atanacio L. Estuar 176, 177(bottom)

Adnan A. Hezri front cover image,facing 1, 12 (above), 20 (right), 22(bottom left), 34 (bottom right), 35(above), 37 (top right), 41, 235, 267(above)

Tetsuya Imakita 50, 51 (top), 68

Yayan Indriatmoko 112, 115 (bottomrow)

Wimonrart Issarathumnoon 14(right), 22 (above), 37 (left), 231, 236

Takako Iwasawa 66, 280

Sirirat Katanchaleekul 20 (above),31, 37 (bottom right), 207 (centerleft), 216 (center)

Motoko Kawano 63 (right), 64, 69(top)

Hiroshi Korenaga 65, 67 (above),277, 282

Cecilia La Paz 207 (top left), 221(left)

Cristina P. Lim 30, 216, 217

Joyce Lim Suan Li 207 (top right),216 (bottom left), 219 (right)

Dave Lumenta xxiv, 102, 110, 111,113 (top right), 128 (bottom right),129 (bottom), 190, 191 (bottom),197 (center), 208, 209, 213, 214, 215(left), 216 (bottom), 217, 219

(bottom left), 223, 225, 255 (topright), 257 (above), 272 (top), 295,297, 311 (right)

Maketab Mohamed 166

Tomoko Momiyama 137, 138

Fumio Nagai 99, 101 (bottom left)

Isabel Nazareno 272 (left)

Colin Nicholas xxi (top left), 3, 42,43, 152 (top), 154 (squirrel, watermonitor), 164, 171, 172 (bottomright), 182, 239, 256 (below)

Myfel Joseph D. Paluga 194, 205, 206(center)

Pemerti Kali Code 113, 125, 133, 255,256, 261

Penchom Saetang 27

Motoko Shimagami 53, 54 (below),55, 56 (above), 67 (below), 69(below), 70, 71 (left), 83, 84, 86, 99

Dicky Sofjan 31 (above right), 34(above), 39 (right), 56 (top)

Sutanti 142, 144, 145

Ayame Suzuki 71 (right), 76

Motohide Taguchi 272 (right)

Koji Tanaka xxi, 5, 46, 54 (top), 59,62, 79, 89, 91, 92, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100(right), 101

Narumol Thammapruksa 108 (topcenter), 121 (bottom left), 129(center)

xixLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Karnt Thassanaphak xxvii, 8, 14(above), 15 (jengkol, duku,bananas), 22 (bottom right), 29(right), 35 (below), 45, 148, 156(right), 167, 179 (right), 247 (right),304, 310, 313, 315, 317

Michi Tomioka 108, 113 (bottomright), 114 (bottom left, centerright), 115 (center right), 116(bottom right), 118, 128 (center left)

Transparency International(Malaysia) 181, 184

Justine Vaz 13, 108 (bottom center),114 (bottom right), 115 (center left)

Kokaew Wongphan 2 (top), 6, 15(below), 18, 19, 24, 25, 27, 29 (left),38, 39 (left), 252

Yeoh Seng Guan 104 (left), 108, 109,114 (top, center right), 115 (top),116, 129 (top), 132, 135

Yonariza 108 (bottom right)

The stock photographs appearing onthe following pages are reproduced bykind permission of dreamstime.com.

xxiii Shamisen player

8 Lady slipper orchid,Bulbophyllum gracillimum,spectacled langur, crestedfireback pheasant, green-tailed sunbird, blue-throated barbet

15 Durian fruit, tom yumingredients, petai, jackfruit

16 Karome waterfall

33 Fire embers

52 Heron, red fox, bean goose

55 Asian black bear

63 Japanese silver grass(Miscanthus)

69 Firefly, cicada

76 Sika deer, Japanesemacaques, wild boar (Susscrofa)

81 Sika deer

106–107 Yogyakarta images

127–128 Merapi devastation

154 Clouded leopard, gibbon

188 Basco lighthouse

226 Japanese water feature

251 Natural disasters

290 Flooding

308 Biwako temple gate

xx LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

“A SIANS DO NOT KNOW otherAsians.” This was one of thekey conclusions reached by

leading public intellectuals in the regionat a brainstorming meeting held in 1999to formulate The Nippon Foundation Fel-lowships for Asian Public Intellectuals orAPI Fellowships Program (API). In lightof this, the API set about creating a newpool of public intellectuals who would bemuch better acquainted with theirneighbors and could work together col-laboratively to tackle common problemsconcerning the region. The publication ofLiving Landscapes, Connected Communitiesrepresents much more than the comple-tion of one more tangible output of theAPI. It reflects the achievement of a coreaspiration of the program: that Fellowswould cross borders and seek newinsights into challenges facing the region,and build understandings of how localpeople cope with these challenges. TheRegional Project was conceived as a ve-hicle through which this collaborativeeffort could be realized.

FOREWORDTatsuya Tanami

With this goal in mind, it was agreedvery early on that this would be a par-ticipatory project, driven by the interestsand energies of the Fellows. Consensusbuilding is necessarily a protracted proc-ess. Hence, it took a great deal of hardthinking, hard bargaining – and some-times heated exchanges – before the Re-gional Project could be designed to thesatisfaction of most. It embodied the keyelements of collaboration across fivecountries: Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, thePhilippines, and Thailand. This entailedFellows venturing beyond their own bor-ders and fields of specialism; grapplingwith a challenge that confronts all coun-tries in the region – that of environmen-tal degradation; and most of all,establishing crucial links with local com-munities. It is this that makes them notonly intellectuals – solving problems withthe mind – but public intellectuals,deeply committed to the impact of ideason society at large.

It was obviously an ambitious experi-ment requiring tremendous investmentin funds, time, and commitment. TheNippon Foundation supported theproject wholeheartedly. It had strongfaith in the dedication and sense of re-sponsibility shared by the Fellows, andrecognized the participatory approach asintrinsic to community building. Thisfaith was not misplaced. Indeed, manyFellows have exceeded the terms of theircommitment to ensure that the RegionalProject has been a success. They flew

xxiLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

many miles and sat through many hoursof meetings to guarantee that the projectactivities would go according to plan.They made repeated visits to the projectsites to learn about the various commu-nities, and establish those bonds so nec-essary to deliver meaningful engagementwith communities in each study site.

After several years of hard work, theRegional Project has been successfullyconcluded. This book captures some ofwhat the Fellows have learned from com-munities that are actively responding tothe diverse social, economic, and environ-mental challenges confronting them.Appreciating the role of traditionalknowledge and time-held resource man-agement practices, the relevance of cul-ture and traditions in knittingcommunities together, and the capacityfor communities to pursue their aspira-tions for the future through innovation

and feats of collective action has addedan important dimension to our under-standing of local struggles. In some cases,we have also been able to identify waysin which local initiatives can be sup-ported and greater space created for lo-cal voices to be heard.

The book offers no big theory or loftysolutions. What it does provide is a recordof concerned humans reaching out toother humans – an essential first step forcommunity engagement. This engage-ment has certainly not ended with theRegional Project. Building on the trustand collaboration engendered throughthe project, the Fellows have continuedto work with the communities both col-lectively and individually. These publicintellectuals, serving and working withthe people, symbolize what the API is all

about and they are bound to have pro-found effects. Another form of bonding,equally significant and important, is thatbetween the participants of the RegionalProject. There were moments of frustra-tion, even of confrontation, along theway, but at the end of the day it is anoverwhelming feeling of accomplishmentthat prevails. Emerging out of that proc-ess is a greater sense of mutual trust andrespect between the Fellows and astronger sense of belonging to the APICommunity. This combination of tangi-ble and intangible results has certainlymade the Regional Project a rewardingexperience and experiment. To everyonewho has made it possible – there are toomany of you to name individually – letme express my heartfelt thanks and con-gratulations.

xxii LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

PREFACE LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED

COMMUNITIES is an output of theRegional Project, a collaborative

research initiative by the Fellows of TheNippon Foundation Fellowships forAsian Public Intellectuals or API Fellow-ships Program (API) undertaken from2008 to 2012. The Regional Project enti-tled “Community-based Initiatives To-ward Human–Ecological Balance” set outto explore the human dimension of theglobal environmental crisis and to betterunderstand the role of local wisdoms,cultural practices, and communal tradi-tions in responding to change. By docu-menting initiatives being led bycommunities to conserve nature, pre-serve environmental health, and improvethe quality of their lives, the project pro-vided an opportunity to deepen perspec-tives on people–environment links acrosscontemporary Asian landscapes.

The five sites chosen for this study –Khiriwong (Thailand), Biwako (Japan),Kali Code (Indonesia), Tasik Chini (Ma-laysia), and Batanes (Philippines) – reflectthe diversity of natural settings and cul-tures present within the East and South-east Asian regions. Each has somethingmeaningful to convey about society, theenvironment, and change in the face ofglobalization and other challenges. Inkeeping with our focus on local perspec-tives, we have made a conscious decisionto consistently use the local names for thesites throughout the book – specificallyKali Code for the Code River riverbank,

Tasik Chini for Lake Chini, and Biwakofor Lake Biwa and its environs. In the in-troduction, Dicky Sofjan, the project man-ager, provides an overview of thedifferent sites and community engage-ment by the API Fellows during theproject, and beyond. While some siteshave already been extensively researchedand featured in their respective countries,many are less well covered in English-language publications. This book pro-vides a rare opportunity for importantand relevant messages from each of thesesites to be showcased to an internationalreadership.

Another distinctive aspect of the Re-gional Project is the nature of the partici-pation of the API Fellows themselves. Asa multidisciplinary, multinational fellow-ship of academics, artists, and activists,they have brought an unusually wide pal-ette of skills and experiences to the chal-lenge of exploring and contextualizinglocal experiences. Contributors have alsosought to bring each of the sites to life,using a variety of styles including pho-tography, poetry, prose, and personal re-flection. This has directly influenced thehybrid presentation of this book, whichis designed to evoke a sense of place, andcapture local voices, beliefs, andworldviews, while providing opportuni-ties to critically consider the project’smain themes.

This volume is intended for a broad au-dience and anyone interested in the dy-namic intersection of people, culture, the

xxiiiLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

environment, and change in Asia. Parts Ito V feature each of the Regional Projectsites in turn so that readers are able toimmerse themselves in the lived realitiesof the different communities. Informationon geography, population, and theeconomy is provided to situate local peo-ple within these cultural landscapes.These chapters frame the social, eco-nomic, political, and cultural dynamicsof each site as people engage with envi-ronmental issues, both individually andcollectively.

The more analytical discussions in PartVI consider the common threads of ex-perience that connect communities acrossdifferent sites. They describe the myriadways people interact with the environ-ment and surroundings, drawing upontheir unique histories and cultural herit-age. These chapters feature the ongoingresponses of communities and other so-cial actors to constraints, pressures, andopportunities, and cover wide-ranging

themes such as environmentalism, par-ticipation, governance, cultural transmis-sion, and collective action.

The imprint of history, culture, and tra-dition is found in all the communities,many of which have settlements datingback hundreds of years. WimonrartIssarathumnoon traces the features of theliving landscapes of watershed villagesin Japan and Thailand, and the initiativesto sustain distinctive aspects of commu-nity life in the face of globalization anddepopulation. This analysis is comple-mented by the issue of the governance ofenvironmental resources, brought intostark and urgent focus in the contributionby Yonariza and Justine Vaz on the eco-logical crisis facing Malaysia’s TasikChini. They highlight the startling socialjustice concerns, and the seeming disre-gard for the rights of the indigenous com-munity to their ancestral territory by thestate. There are profound lessons for thepeople of Tasik Chini from other casestudies. Ekoningtyas Wardani and JustineVaz, for instance, draw on examples fromKhiriwong and Kali Code to reflect on theways local knowledge and belief systemscontribute to the resilience of communi-ties in coping with disaster and strength-ening their capacity to engage effectivelyin disaster risk reduction. This is echoedin Trias Aditya’s account of collaborativedisaster risk management in Kali Code,using a combination of remote sensingand participatory geographic informationsystems (GIS) approaches.

Traditional knowledge, local wisdom,values, and beliefs – which are abun-dantly in evidence in many parts of Eastand Southeast Asia – are more than staticforms of cultural identification. Many di-rectly influence resource management,engender cultural continuity, and facili-tate adaptation to contemporary chal-lenges. In “Asian Ecology andKnowledge of the Sacred,” Dicky Sofjanexamines water rituals in Khiriwong,Batanes, and Kali Code, noting the waysin which these are constantly beingreinvented in response to prevailing eco-nomic, social, and political conditions.Other authors have also observed thepractical relevance of rituals and tradi-tional beliefs. For example, MotohideTaguchi, in his exploration of “Tradi-tional Songs, Music and CollectiveMemory in Biwako and Batanes,” pains-takingly pieces together the origins anddecline of traditional music and songsfrom these two areas. In recent years,these communities have realized the im-portance of this shared heritage and have

xxiv LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

made concerted efforts to revive theseperforming arts and the special events inwhich they feature prominently.

At a more theoretical level Adnan A.Hezri, in “A Question of Balance? Non-Linear Change, Ecology, and Govern-ance,” problematizes the notion ofbalance that seems to permeate thinkingon ecology, nature, and human society.He dismantles the concept by providingan historical overview of the scientific, aswell as the spiritual and philosophical,origins of the balance, thus exposing itslimitations and shortcomings. In its place,he offers the idea of non-linear change asa more realistic perspective for the man-agement of natural environments inmultistakeholder settings. Using the ex-ample of the evolving management ap-proach to Biwako, he points out theweakness of previous one-dimensionalstrategies to restoring the health of thelake, in contrast to the non-linear andmultidimensional thinking that charac-terizes its current management.

The final contributions to the book offermore personal reflections on the RegionalProject journey. Although implementingthis collective undertaking posed formi-dable logistical challenges and askedmuch from its participants and coordina-tors, Danilo Reyes and Yeoh Seng Guanshow how it has been a bold step forwardin fulfilling the potential contained withinthe community of public intellectuals. Atthe end of the Regional Project, SombathSomphone, the founder of the Participa-

tory Development Training Centre inLaos, delivered the keynote address at thepublic seminar held in Bangkok in June2012. His message on the “Force ofInterconnectedness,” which we are proudto reproduce here, provides both a pro-found assessment of the power of collec-tive engagement and a fitting startingpoint for discussions still to come. Theseideas are expanded upon at some lengthin the conclusion, which makes an impas-sioned plea for public intellectuals to em-brace a worldview that recognizes thatwe each have a potential role as agentsfor positive change, in creating “ecologiesof hope.”

The finished product contains inputsfrom over 50 contributors comprising APIFellows, invited resource persons, andexperts. At least half the articles are writ-ten by individuals for whom English isnot their working language, and some ofthese were initially drafted in Thai, Japa-nese, and Indonesian. These have foundtheir finished form due to the dedicated

contributions of translators and editors.In compiling this book, we also owe adebt of gratitude to the many individu-als, organizations, and local authoritiesthat helped facilitate the visits to the fivesites. We have attempted to list them allin the acknowledgements section andoffer our sincere thanks for their open-ness, hospitality, and generous spirits.

Ultimately, we hope this book is a fit-ting tribute to the communities we haveencountered on this remarkable journey.With all their complexity and creativity,they have broadened our understandingof diverse societies and their responsesto change. Communities who know theirroots are able to draw upon local wisdomand common values to face change anddetermine their own future. Demonstrat-ing their acquired capacity for resilienceand innovation, these communities areincreasingly asserting their right to de-velop in ways that are meaningful tothem. It is in the context of endogenousdevelopment that approaches to living inbalance with nature can expand to en-compass essential elements of spiritual-ity, belonging, wellbeing, and humandignity. In upholding what they mostvalue, these communities offer insightsinto what inspires collective action evenin situations that appear grim and hope-less. They give us hope for the future.

Justine Vaz, Kuala LumpurNarumol Aphinives, Bangkok17 October 2013

xxvLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS THIS BOOK IS THE product of ajourney of exploration spanningmany years and covering many

countries. Along the way, The NipponFoundation Fellowships for Asian Pub-lic Intellectuals has accumulated a debtof gratitude to a steadily expanding listof individuals and groups who havehelped implement the project and con-tributed in some way to realizing thisvolume. For its part, The Nippon Foun-dation’s executive director, TatsuyaTanami, was among the first to perceivethe project’s relevance, and he, togetherwith Michiko Taki, provided unstintingsupport and encouragement from thevery beginning.

The Regional Project has given the API

Community a rare platform for genuinecollaboration and a chance to connectwith diverse communities across borders.At each of the sites, the API Fellows werewarmly greeted by community leaders,local officials, and government officers,and had an opportunity to gain greaterunderstanding of social-environmentalconcerns from local resource people,grassroots organizations, and scholarsfrom local institutions. We thank all ourhosts for their patience, hospitality, andgenerous spirits, and acknowledge theirinvaluable contributions to this work. Inparticular we extend our sincere appre-ciation to the following individuals andorganizations.

In Kali Code, Indonesia: Totok Pratopoand members of Pemerti Kali Code, theDirectorate of Research and CommunityServices, Indonesian Islamic University,the Institute of Research and CommunityService, Yogyakarta Technological Uni-versity, the Institute of Research andCommunity Service, Atma Jaya Univer-sity, the Faculty of Engineering, GadjahMada University, the Asian Public Intel-lectuals Community – Indonesia, thedeputy mayor of the city of YogyakartaH. Haryadi Suyuti, and the provincialsecretary of Yogyakarta Tri Harjun Ismaji.

In Biwako, Japan: Shirodayu Inoue,Tetsuya Imakita, Hiroshi Korenaga,Keiichi Kurimoto, Shu Nakajima, EmikoNishizawa, Suehisa Kuroda of the Uni-versity of Shiga Prefecture, and membersof Yuino-sato Mukugawa.

xxvi LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

In Tasik Chini, Malaysia: Batin AwangAlok, Noorhayati Abdullah, IsmailMuhamad, Baharin Sunta, Puling Mat,Abu Seman, Sahari Sunta, Nashita DewiParamathan, Jamaliah Ismail, ZaharahSeman, Kamarudin Jantan, LakmanGaboh, Akit Huat, and UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia.

In Batanes, Philippines: Ernie Galana,Father Brigidio Casas, Mayor PedroPoncio, the Batanes congressional districtrepresentative Henedina Abad, the formerBatanes governor Telesforo Castillejos,Florentino Hornedo, Maria Mangahas,Magdalena Galana Fabre, Elogia Fainza,Monica Llace, Lydia Roberto, FilomenaHubalde, Ponso Servilan, and RogerAmboy.

In Khiriwong, Thailand: YongyuthKrachanglok, Virat Trichote, AreeKhunthon, Prayong Taeng-on, SupinyaBoonchaleuy, Song Boonchaleuy, LukKhun Nam Youth Group, ChamaipornBhuddarat of the Faculty of Humanitiesand Social Sciences, Walailak University,and Thirawuth Senakham of the Schoolof Liberal Arts, Walailak University.

We also acknowledge the key rolesplayed by members of the API RegionalProject Working Groups from the fiveparticipating countries of Indonesia, Ja-pan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thai-land, who worked alongside the differentcommunities to coordinate the site vis-its. The Working Group leaders – TatakPrapti Ujiyati, Yuli Nugroho, FumioNagai, Adnan A. Hezri, Henry Chan,

Rosalie Arcala Hall, Glecy Atienza, andSupa Yaimuang – deserve special men-tion for their dedication and commitment.In addition, we extend our appreciationto many members of the API RegionalCommittee who offered strategic guid-ance to the project – Herry Yogasawara,Motoko Kawano, Muktasam, TheresitaV. Atienza, Rosalie Arcala Hall, WataruFujita, and Yeoh Seng Guan. Togetherwith all these colleagues, Dicky Sofjan,the Regional Project manager, workeddiligently to establish a framework fordocumenting the site visits, and stimu-lating discussion and intellectual collabo-ration that would serve as a springboardfor the written contributions.

In preparing for the publication of thebook, we would like to thank all thosewho contributed articles and other con-tent, even though not all submissionswere included in the final selection. Sev-eral resource persons also responded toour invitation to contribute articles and

we are pleased to have their participationin this publication. In this regard, the ar-ticle by Maria F. Mangahas is excerptedfrom a chapter in a book originally pub-lished by Springer and is reproduced herewith the publisher’s kind permission.

Special mention should be made of thecontribution of Sombath Somphone. Asis well known, he founded the Participa-tory Development Training Centre,which educates rural Laotians in every-thing from fish farming to rice millingand microcredit to recycling householdwaste. In 2005, he won the RamonMagsaysay Award for Community Lead-ership. Sombath gave a thought-provok-ing keynote address at the RegionalProject culminating event, held atChulalongkorn University, Bangkok inJune 2012, and we are privileged to beable to include his address here. But it isalso with great shock and deep sadnessthat we note Sombath’s sudden disap-pearance in December 2012, when he wassnatched on a busy street in Laos’s capi-tal, Vientiane, by persons unknown. Hehas not been seen or heard of since. Wecan only hope for Sombath’s speedy andsafe return to his family, friends, and thecommunity he has served with such dis-tinction over many years.

We are also grateful to those who gra-ciously consented to the use of their pho-tographs, and acknowledge the talentand special effort they made to captureaspects of the different cultural land-scapes for this book. They include Colin

xxviiLIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Nicholas, Dave Lumenta, Elis ZuliatiAnis, Henry Chan, Karnt Thassanaphak,and the photographers from Center forNew Cinema, the Philippines – NanaBuxani, Matthew Sudario, Mark Locsin,TJ, and Christopher Tan. Nick Deocampocontributed images taken from his re-markable documentary footage; he hasbeen an encouraging creative collabora-tor throughout this journey. A full listingof photo credits is provided elsewhere.

In refining the articles for publicationwe are grateful to the Regional ProjectWorking Group leaders and other APIFellows who served as an informal edito-rial panel, providing peer reviews of thesubmissions, and assisting in the compi-lation of information and images for thebook. In addition to those listed earlier,we would like to acknowledge Ayame

Suzuki, Dwi Any Marsiyanti, ColinNicholas, Ekoningtyas Wardani, JosieFernandez, Kam Suan Pheng, KokaewWongphan, Motohide Taguchi, MotokoShimagami, Myfel J. Paluga, and Tan PekLeng for their contributions and support.Assistance with translation was providedby Vasana Chinvarakorn, PipobUdomittipong, Gonthong Lourdesamy,and Zawiah Yahya. Nantiya Tangwisutijitrecorded the proceedings at the culminat-ing event, which was helpful in craftingthe conclusion to the book. Additionaleditorial assistance was provided by EnaGill and Michael Lim.

Areca Books in Penang, Malaysia, gaveits full commitment to our vision of cel-ebrating the diversity of cultures acrossthe region, while creating a space to saysomething meaningful about society, en-vironment, and change in Asia. This hasbeen beautifully realized in the designand layout by Cecilia Mak. It has takenan experienced consulting editor to steerthis sometimes unwieldy book safely tocompletion, and for this we are gratefulto have had Gareth Richards at the helm,assisted by Jaime Hang.

As our technical advisor, Koji Tanakapainstakingly reviewed all the submis-sions and offered insightful comments,wisdom, and good humor – always en-couraging us to strive for a publication thatis both relevant and of a high standard.

We wish to sincerely acknowledge thecontributions of Michiko Yoshida fromthe API Regional Coordinating Institu-

tion in Bangkok, Thailand, who, togetherwith her impressive and hard-workingteam, supported the book with thought-fulness and efficiency. We also thank theprogram coordinators from different APIpartner institutions – John Haba, DorothyFernandez-Robert, Naoko Maeno, IsaNazareno, and their dedicated staff.

Our final thanks are reserved for you,the reader of this book. We hope that byengaging with its contents you haveglimpsed something of the excitementand insights gained from this long jour-ney. Thank you!

xxviii LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

1INTRODUCTION

IntroductionFrom the Mountainsto the Sea:

MakingConnectionsAcross theRegionDicky Sofjan

Communities in flux

FROM THE BRACING COLD streamsflowing from the slopes of uplandareas to the tranquil mirror-like

calm of inland lakes, and then to the seasthat connect all our shores, water – so es-sential to human life – was to become thetheme linking the sites that became thefocus of the Regional Project. Each sitepresented a cultural landscape with itsown distinctive physical geographic set-ting, environment and people, with theirdefining values and beliefs. Within thecontext of community life, API Fellowsmet with people who were respondingto daily pressures and socioeconomic re-alities while constantly navigating andnegotiating change, choices, and identi-ties in an increasingly borderless world.

In Japan, we visited the hinterland ofthe magnificent Biwako (Lake Biwa) near

the outskirts of Kyoto. Here we becameacquainted with the people of the centu-ries-old villages of Mukugawa andHarihata. They shared their stories withus and we learned of their struggles tosustain community life, restore ecosys-tems, and preserve a sense of place in vil-lages now mostly emptied of children’svoices and the energy of young peoplewho had left to seek urban futures.

In Thailand, our focus was Khiriwong,the picturesque village situated on theforested slopes on the borders of KhaoLuang National Park. Up close, these“forests” are actually mixed orchards,comprising fruit trees expertly layeredand blended into the forest. Some of theseagroforests, locally called the suan somrom, date back to when this area was firstsettled more than 200 years ago. This idyl-lic setting of temples and clear streams is

Lake Biwa, the Mother Lake of Japan

“I have met so manyAPI Fellows in differentbatches and in differentfields. I would not havemet them unless I hadparticipated in thisproject. It was good to seeforeign site participantsget active at both countryas well as regional levels.In this sense the RegionalProject has been verysuccessful.”— Fumio Nagai

2 LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

a stark contrast to the images of homesand farms devastated by the floods andlandslides of 1988, burnished in theshared memory of the community. In re-building the village and revitalizing thetraditional practice of the suan som rom,the Khiriwong community has come tobe seen as an inspiring model of resil-ience, mutual help, and green living.

In Yogyakarta, Indonesia, our visit inFebruary 2011 was graciously hosted bycommunity organizations representingpeople living in the dense riverbank set-tlements of Kali Code (Code River). Thistook place even as they coordinated rivercleanup, relief and rebuilding activitiesin the wake of the damaging cold lavafloods following the November 2010eruption of Mt Merapi. Tens of thousandsliving within 20 km of the volcano wereforced to evacuate in order to escape thepyroclastic clouds and toxic volcanic ash.When the rains came, Kali Code becamea destructive force, powering through theurban riverside dwellings, carrying toxicdebris into homes, smashing structures,and gripping the communities with fearand worry. This response to communityneeds is just an extension of a visionarygrassroots campaign to transform theseurban slums – once overwhelmed withrubbish and notorious for crime – into apleasant and vibrant riverside hub.Against the odds, these dynamic andcommitted community leaders have ini-tiated a remarkable transformation thatis making Kali Code a more attractive and

Top: From afar, the mist covered suan som rom of Khiriwong resembles a tropical forest

Above: Kali Code after the cold lava floods of November 2010

3INTRODUCTION

liveable place. Visitors can take in pleas-ing river views and experience the energyand color of community life. In partner-ship with local academic institutions, lo-cal government authorities, and othercivil society organizations, programshave been undertaken to clean the river,reduce and treat waste, and even recyclediscarded items into creative and saleableproducts. In the environs of Kali Code, itwas humbling to see positive change be-ing driven by poor marginalized groups.Local leaders have long campaigned fora stake in decision-making. Being givena voice and an opportunity to shape theirfuture has empowered local communityorganizations to pursue their shared vi-sion energetically.

In Malaysia, in the vicinity of the swol-len part of the Pahang River more com-monly known as Tasik Chini (LakeChini), we became acquainted with anenvironmental crisis that has emergednot through an encounter with the earth’sforces, but in a much more insidious andincremental way. More than a decadeago, the hydrology of the lake was alteredthrough the construction of a weir de-signed to keep water levels high to per-mit easy access by tourist boats. Riverineforest trees became waterlogged anddied, and the lake seems headed for asimilar fate. Without adequate cycles offlushing, the now impounded lake accu-mulates the toxins and poisons washedin from plantations, mining sites, anduntreated sewage from recreation and

tourism operations in the lake catchment.These changes are devastating to the in-digenous Orang Asli communities whohave lived here for generations, and whoremember too well a time when theycould make a good living from the abun-dance of the forest and the bounty of thelake. While academics and civil societyorganizations have, at various times,taken up the cause of Tasik Chini, too lit-tle has changed to reverse the steady de-mise of this living landscape. There is afresh campaign now underway by OrangAsli and civil society organizations toappeal for the destructive activities in thelake catchment to be halted, for the lakeenvironment to be restored, and for the

Orang Asli communities have lived around Tasik Chini for generations

indigenous community to participate indecisions affecting the area. However, itremains to be seen if this initiative willachieve its objectives.

In the Philippines, the site visit was tothe remote northerly islands known asBatanes, which are mainly inhabited byIvatans who have long carved out an ex-istence in this demanding landscape.They derive their needs from farms andpasturelands that date back to the periodof Spanish rule, and from the bounty ofthe sea. In Batanes, the rhythm of life andthe economy is closely linked to its mostimportant visitors, the migrating doradothat come to these waters in the summerin pursuit of flying fish. For the mataw

4 LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

ing the tangible and intangible aspects ofwhat defines people as individuals andbinds them together as a community.

Making connectionsAs a collective journey of exploration, theRegional Project brought the API Fellowsbeyond their literal and figurative com-fort zones. Many came as strangers to dis-tant lands and unfamiliar shores to meetwith people they might never have hadthe opportunity to share a conversationwith, and to become closely acquaintedwith issues that occupy the minds of lo-cal people. In these new settings, the APIFellows, despite their accolades and pro-

Traditional mataw fishing in Batanes reflects both ecological and social sustainability

fishermen who devote themselves tocatching these fish in single-personsailboats, this practice is a spiritual oneinvolving rituals, reverence, and sacredpassageways. Participation involves care-fully abiding by the rules that govern thefishers. In Batanes, time seems to standstill as we witness this ancient practice.But we know also that this is an illusion.As in all other places, local people hereare buffeted by change – the loss of itspopulation to the mainland and beyond,the changing economy, and the tensionsbetween conflicting belief systems and thecontinuation of traditional practices. InBatanes, there is an ongoing saga involv-

“Despite the limited time we spent in

Khiriwong, we were impressed with the

demonstration of resourcefulness by

members of the community in seeking to

strike a balance between human existence

and nature. Local wisdoms have become

part and parcel of Khiriwong’s way of life –

their ideas, words, and daily practice. These

lessons from Khiriwong reveal how a

community can confront change and

uncertainty and rebuild with strength from

within – and provide a guide to

communities and individuals facing

environmental crises that increasingly

confront the world.”

— Supa Yaimuang

5INTRODUCTION

fessional accomplishments, were willingto assume the roles of students andscribes. In search of insight into the livesof local people they brought with themthe most basic tools of storytellers – in-tellectual curiosity, creativity and, mostimportant of all, humanity.

In some instances, making a humanconnection literally involved taking upnew tools. In Mukugawa, for example,this meant mastering the tools of padifarming. Meanwhile, teaching keenyoung people basic video productionskills enabled local people in Khiriwongto assume the role of storytellers, sharingtheir unique perspectives and gatheringthe stories of their families and elders.

While the anthropologists, sociologists,historians, activists, political ecologists,and journalists among the API Fellowsfound familiar fields of inquiry in ad-dressing the contemporary concerns ofpeople and understanding the people–environment link, the artists from the APIcommunity brought with them unusualand poignant opportunities for thought-ful engagement. In Mukugawa, ToshiyaTakahama introduced his Community onthe Move art installation, which involvedlocal participants in evocatively “rebuild-ing” the once lively village of Oharadani,which was abandoned 40 years ago asJapan began to experience the structuralchanges and population movements ofthe postwar period.

Similarly, in Batanes, Jay Ticar was ableto realize his vision in the Batanes Blank

Book project which was anchored in a li-brary space attached to the nineteenth-century church in Mahatao. Today,visitors and residents will find rows ofbooks, which creatively evoke the colorand movement of the sea in this welcom-ing nook. The books, which started outas empty pages, are gradually being filledas local people use them to record theirhistory, life experiences, and musings inidiosyncratic ways. Field notes, reflec-tions, objects, photographs, and drawingscan be placed in the books. They haveprovided an avenue for creative expres-sion and a precious record for future gen-erations.

In Khiriwong, Takako Iwasawa’s WaterChildren Project, undertaken with a localyouth group, provided an opportunity toengage with the therapeutic power of theperforming arts. Dance theater provideda medium for children to use their bod-ies and voices to collectively reenact theterrible disaster that once destroyed theirvillage, and also to depict the recoveryfrom catastrophe. The performance cel-ebrates the community’s ability toreinvent itself, to assert its values, and tocome back even stronger than before.

In Yogyakarta, Tomoko Momiyama, acomposer, recruited a group of street mu-sicians from settlements along Kali Codeto develop an original composition usinga variety of original instruments and per-cussion, including some fashioned fromthe debris washed in by the flood. Someof the participants were from settlements

“The Japan Regional Project Working Group

is mostly composed of specialists on

Southeast Asia and artists; we do not have

any specialists on environmental issues in

Japan. We conducted research on history,

nature, local tradition and customs; we took

time to understand the environmental

issues being faced; and, we built networks

with local resource persons. But we still felt

that those activities were inadequate to

gain a local perspective. So with the kind

offer from Shirodayu Inoue, we rented a

small padi field for half a year to produce

rice without any machines and chemical

fertilizers. From April 2009, API Fellows

from Japan visited Mukugawa almost every

weekend to engage in agricultural work.

Shirodayu Inoue kindly allowed us to stay

over without charge at his old house.

Indeed, without such kind support from

local residents, the Japan Regional Project

Working Group could not have achieved

anything at all.”

— Fumio Nagai

6 LIVING LANDSCAPES, CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

that had been damaged by the cold lavafollowing the Merapi eruption. The com-position sessions, and the eventual per-formance, provided them with a platformto express their experience of trauma andinsecurity, but ended on a hopeful notethat echoed the positive experience ofcommunity solidarity and their partici-pation in urban renewal.

Taking stockThe visit of the API Fellows to the five sitesmay have provided the initial focus forcommunity engagement. However, likethe fabled soup stone in an empty cook-ing pot, it prompted the addition of manywonderful and unexpected ingredientsfrom so many people that it eventuallycreated a delicious and nourishing brothfor all to share. Since its launch in 2008,the Regional Project has brought aboutmany positive developments and yieldedmany enduring outcomes. From the firsttentative encounters with local commu-nities, bonds of friendship have beenforged and shared initiatives launched –these will likely see Fellows returning tothese sites for many years to come.

In various countries, the Fellows of theAPI community have taken social andenvironmental issues to heart, in somecases leveraging off their knowledge,networks, and resources to contributetoward positive change. API Indonesiahas played a strategic role in advocatinggreater community participation in plan-ning and implementing urban renewal in

“Ties between the API visitors and the

Khiriwong community have continued

long after the site visit. The campaign to

preserve biodiversity found in the suan

som rom areas, assistance to the Look

Khun Nam youth group, and the fruitful

exchange of ideas are among examples

of ongoing collaboration. In addition, the

Khiriwong community has become

better known to the Thai public through

various media productions, some

undertaken by Thai fellows. It has turned

into a unique ‘classroom’ for people

seeking innovative approaches whereby

humans can coexist with nature in

balance and with mutual respect.”

— Supa Yaimuang

the Kali Code environs. Fellows from APIMalaysia recently initiated a forum anda movement to urgently address the en-vironmental crisis being faced in TasikChini. In Khiriwong, Thai Fellows areinvolved in documenting traditional eco-logical knowledge and safeguarding liv-ing laboratories generating hundreds ofindigenous varieties of durian andmangosteen. Filipino Fellows have beguna teacher training program in Batanesthat will enable children to learn abouttheir unique historical, cultural, and en-vironmental heritage. In Mukugawa,photographic exhibitions held in the com-munity provided an avenue for visitingFellows to share what they have learned,and how they had been changed by thevisit to the community. In all countries,there are plans for country publicationsto return the findings of the RegionalProject to the communities that partlyhosted the project.

For some of the API Fellows who par-ticipated in the Regional Project, theshared endeavor has deepened relation-ships and provided an experience of re-gional cooperation, crystalizing the latentpotential for intellectual synthesis acrossthe API community. It is proof thatcommonalities and a common purposecan overcome the superficial barriers oflanguage and cultural difference.

Lessons learnedIt is perhaps premature to theorize aboutthe main findings of the Regional Project.

7INTRODUCTION

Certainly, readers are encouraged to formtheir own views as they go through thepages of this book. However, one of thesignificant observations from our en-counters with the communities we havemet is that the capacity for creativity andcollective action stands as a bulwarkagainst fatalistic views of environmentaldegradation as our common fate. Suchcommunities are found across differentenvironmental and social settings, andshow us that people are able to bring

Fellows of API Indonesia and Pemerti Kali Code have an audience with the Sultan of the Special

Administrative Region of Yogyakarta to discuss closer collaboration among government,

academic institutions, and community organizations in Kali Code

about change at many different levels,even in situations of poverty, environ-mental crisis, and disempowerment.

If there is one lesson that we can takeaway from this journey of discovery, it isthat no situation is so desperate that itcannot be reversed. There is no crisis thatcannot be ameliorated with the timelyassistance of friends and allies, the pro-vision of political space for local voicesto be heard, and the opportunity to en-able people to be participants in change.

“Communities are subjective constructs;

they require an emotional investment that

can only come about with iterated face-to-

face encounters. These feelings link people

together and carry enormous potential for

mobilization. The API Regional Project

enabled disparate members of a loose

grouping to come together, dialogue, and

have a shared experience. The project

socialized its participants to a common

language and habit of consultation,

consensus, and output delivery. Many

understood that the exercise wasn’t about

solving the region’s ecological problems. In

hindsight, the project’s singular

achievement was the personal connections

among API Fellows, which hopefully will

engender future collaborations.”

— Rosalie Arcala Hall