In 2010, students smashed their heads together Microsoft Innovative Education Forum Regional and decided they wanted to addressing the global problem of deforestation and therefore the project was born DeforestAction. After the project managers have contacted producers Virgo Productions, the Rise of the Eco-Warriors film was launched. Eleven young men were selected to spend 100 days in the Borneo jungle - their origins included reforestation, media, mapping and care of wildlife. Their mentor was Dr. Willie Smits, a renowned ecologist in Indonesia, which launched a satellite surveillance system called Earthwatchers in the DeforestAction project.
I recently met with Paul Daley in a community gardening project in Jogjakarta and had the opportunity to know his view that eco-warrior in this bold project that has received criticism, but can inspire students around the world to be more pro-active with regard to deforestation and conservation.
How did you manage the 100 days in the forest?
I grew up in a tropical forest and fruit tree nursery in northern NSW, a region home to the largest band of World Heritage Listed sub-tropical forest in Australia. So I'm very comfortable trekking through the forest. Most other "eco-warriors" had never explored the rainforest and came from urban areas. It is absolutely hilarious to watch cope with insects, the mud of the rainy season and rural Indonesian conditions (such as the toilet!). I live for this stuff, while some of them were terrified!
And what in the project area do you specialize in?
I specialized in forest restoration, as my background in Australia includes forest restoration with permaculture and agroforestry. Borneo's forest restoration team worked with the Dayak in establishing nurseries to increase the capacity of their existing tree planting programs
I remember you had a good sense of humor -. Do you have any funny stories about your 100 days in the jungle?
Absolutely! We did a lot of laughter, and the Dayaks have a great sense of humor, I think humor is a natural coping mechanism to keep morale when confronted with the views of deforestation.
There was one night when we were far up the Kapuas river in a remote section of West Kalimantan, meeting with Dayak leaders who were we tell the story of land grabbing by Palm oil companies (they usually bribe someone in the village, then claim the entire area under a palm oil concession). Anyway, the meeting lasted for hours and mostly in Indonesian (most of us spoke very little Bahasa at this stage). Suddenly, a bat flew into the room, made some circles and then 'bang' smack into the wall, fell on the ground for a moment, then left the building. For some reason, he was so hilarious. We could not stop laughing! Slapstick comedy courtesy of the local wildlife!
On a more serious note, the Kenyan eco-warrior nearly drowned in a river. He had only ever swam in a lake to return to his homeland and the first moment, he jumped into a free flowing stream her body went into shock, he panicked and went under. Me and Tom Smith of England had to jump in and rescue him. It was such a close call that weighs more than 100 kg and the river flowed fast enough rain during the night! Scary!
Tell us about the rise of Eco-Warriors Project.
We had major challenges of the project, funding issues, the project partners pulling in mid '100 of our "mentor days," Dr. Willie Smits, was present for a small fraction of the 100 days and I personally came to the realization that the whole concept of "100 days in the jungle" with a group of mostly inexperienced bule "warriors" who speak hardly any bahasa is a ridiculous concept to support any conservation initiative. To be nice, we were extremely naive, but for me there were countless life lessons learned and powerful planted seeds that continue to sprout today. As a wise sage of Central Asia said there are thousands of years "there is no failure, only lessons."
Tell us about the project mentor, Dr Willie Smits, and reforestation program.
Dr Willie Smits is an incredibly passionate environmentalist, I have seen his TED talks around 08. He played a crucial role in the conservation of orangutans and forests throughout Indonesia for more than three decades and its approach to forest restoration is definitely ahead of its time (incorporate agroforestry into an eco-system of closed canopy forest). Despite feeling moments left by Willie, to this day, I have the greatest respect for sincere passion and action on behalf of orangutans, the Dayak communities and the rich biodiversity of Indonesia.
Actually, 100 days was not nearly enough time to see tangible results for our efforts, especially for forest restoration. We, however, give additional impetus to the efforts of local Dayaks by building a community nursery which has become a hub for the distribution of thousands of sugar palm seedlings. This Borneo Dayak community is incredible; they were the first village in the whole of Kalimantan Interior to have electricity "off the grid" by building their own "micro-hydro unit of electricity. In the 190s they resisted efforts by multinational logging companies to destroy their forests and every community member has signed an agreement that they do not want palm oil to destroy their ancestral forests.
You keep a very proactive approach regarding deforestation - what is your advice to people who want to help in cities like Jakarta
I think that awareness is essential ;? sustained action comes only after recognizing what is really happening. It is so easy to get lost in the rhythm of modern urban life and to find a balance helps us stay connected. Ultimately, I think what is happening on our planet is a reflection of our separation condition of the natural world. Earlier this year, I worked with the basic collective permaculture, working to raise awareness of nature in the city landscapes through urban agriculture and backyard "kitchen gardens". Whatever you can do to raise awareness, planting seeds, find and meet with people sharing the same ideas.
Paul Daley is now planting a lot of ideas and seeds across Indonesia and is involved in a reforestation program in Sumatra with the Orangutan Information Centre. Orangutans are often called "gardeners of the forest" because of the way they consume fruits and disperse seeds -. And now it seems we need more than ever gardeners
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