Southeast Asia’s rainforests, rich in biodiversity and culture, have long drawn travelers from around the world. But this natural and cultural allure is under threat from rapid deforestation and environmental decline. Data from Ecocare in 2024 indicates that Southeast Asia has experienced forest degradation for decades.
This also became relevant in the Philippines, where natural forest loss reached 43.8 kha in 2024, contributing to 24.0 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions. Despite progress, illegal logging, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development continue to threaten its remaining green spaces.
Samudra Bekudong’k behind the scenes during the development of their film
Beyond government action, Filipino filmmakers and environmental activists are leveraging film as a powerful medium to raise awareness of deforestation and biodiversity loss. Documentaries and short films showcased at events like the Klima Film Festival and Science Film Festival highlight the importance of preserving green spaces amid rapid urbanization. Independent filmmakers have also produced works focusing on the Philippines’ vanishing forests and the impact of climate change on local biodiversity.
Forest Degradation and Socio-Cultural Shifts in Sanggau Communities
Recognizing the crucial role of culture in maintaining ecosystem balance and community identity, Lingkar Temu Kabupaten Lestari (LTKL) has made the preservation of local wisdom one of the main focuses of its programs, especially in West Borneo, where the top four regencies account for 58% of all tree cover loss between 2001 and 2023.
Sanggau, one of the regencies in West Borneo, has shown its commitment to environmental and cultural preservation through various policies and programs. Supporting these efforts , LTKL has partnered with multiple parties. One of them is Jagarawat, a collective organization that recognizes the diversity and potential of people, nature, and culture in Indonesia to create a better shared life. They conduct social mapping using an anthropological framework. One effort is to reconnect the younger generation with their traditional roots as an integral part of nature conservation efforts.
Aqil Noviandri, a 24-year-old local youth from Sanggau, realized that Sanggau holds hidden cultural treasures, not only in the form of ancestral heritage, but also as a force for nature conservation. Yet modernization and urbanization have eroded this identity, leaving many young people disconnected from ancestral traditions and rituals. “Of course, there’s a sense of concern when seeing the younger generation drifting further from their cultural roots. Yet, within ancestral traditions lies local wisdom highly relevant to preserving nature, which is their very foundation,” said Aqil, representing the Samudra Bekudong’k youth community.
For instance, the Dayak Taba Tribe in Sanggau believes in “Amot,” comprehended as a kind of harvest-disrupting spirit, underlies various rituals aimed at preserving agricultural yields. Such practices reflect the deep connection between traditional beliefs and sustainable resource management.
As knowledge of rituals like Amot fades, so too do land management systems such as Tembawang, the sustainable cultivation of former farm plots with valuable plants, and Rimba Gupung, the stewardship of natural forests to meet basic needs while protecting biodiversity.
“This area also loses its appeal as a cultural and natural tourist destination. The economic potential from utilizing local wisdom and cultural products becomes suboptimal. Yet, if managed well, Sanggau’s cultural and natural heritage can be a unique and highly valuable attraction,” Aqil stated.
Film as a Platform for Community Advocacy
After actively working in film production in Sanggau, Aqil, along with young people from Samudra Bekudong’k, is now assisted by Jagarawat, an organization that helps empower communities through art. Jagarawat provides mentorship for the Sanggau youth that fosters participation in local and national art ecosystems, including involvement at several film festivals, such as the Jogja Asian Netpac Film Festival (JAFF) 2024, West Kalimantan Film Festival 2022, and Budara Film Festival 2021, which awarded them third place.
As part of the mentorship program, Aqil and his friends made two documentary films titled ‘Amoth: Ritual Adat Nyeser’ and ‘Penjaga Hutan Adat Tae’ (Guardians of the Tae Customary Forest), which tell about how local communities around the Tae customary forest preserve the customary forest and commodities like tengkawang, as a source of livelihood for the community.
Fithor Faris, Founder of Jagarawat, explained, “Film is a powerful tool to empower Sanggau’s youth by guiding them to explore local richness, translate it into relevant visual language, and disseminate it through platforms that reach wide audiences. The goal is to foster a sense of pride and responsibility for the preservation of their own nature and culture.”
Youth Hopes for the Preservation of Sanggau’s Natural & Cultural Heritage
Film production by Samudra Bekudong’k also serves as a bridge between the past and the future, between culture and conservation that helps to show the young generation that Indonesian values exist in nature, in the forests, in local wisdom, and in preserving cultural identity.
“Our efforts to document and popularize Sanggau’s culture through film aim to open up young people’s understanding of the values they possess. By understanding these cultural and natural values, we want Sanggau’s youth to be proud of their culture and be moved to protect their nature,” Aqil said. “As young people who grew up in Sanggau, we hope this film can open the eyes of our peers and the wider community to the cultural and natural wealth we possess. We want film to be our way of showing how important it is to preserve this heritage, not just for today, but also for the future.”
The activities initiated by Aqil and the Samudra Bekudong’k team are proof that film can be a force for change. They don’t just record culture; they also move people’s hearts and minds, fostering awareness of the importance of preserving nature and culture. They are young people who don’t just watch the world; they change it.
