Sugar palm (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.) for livelihoods and biodiversity conservation in the orangutan habitat of Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia: mixed prospects for domestication

Domestication of desirable forest resources
in agroforestry is expected to contribute to community
based forest conservation efforts, but there may be an
optimum level of domestication in this respect. Aren or
sugar palm (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.) is a
multipurpose tree that provides livelihoods for local
people and food for other biota in the landscape.
However, its domestication is still limited in many
places, such as in Batang Toru Forest Block, an area of
high conservation value, including habitat for the
Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii). Options for aren
management were prioritized as part of a landscapescale
conservation study by comparing domestication
levels in the area. Data on economic indicators and
ecological knowledge were gathered through interviews
with key farmers, focus groups and transect
walks. Four representative villages were selected for
the study, that is, (i) two villages with no domestication
of aren; and (ii) two villages with aren cultivation in
rubber-based land-use systems. Costbenefit analyses
suggested that in a rich biodiversity area, such as
Batang Toru, although aren was one of the sources of
local livelihoods, additional investment for domestication
beyond cultivation was not an option considered by
farmers. Farmers still perceived wildlife as an efficient
mode of aren regeneration, supported by the coexistence
of people and other biota in the area. It appears the
value of aren for local people’s livelihoods and
conservation can be enhanced by increasing its stocking
density. There is also scope for improving market
access and share of end-user value received by farmers.