President's Report 2007

September 2007

Dear Fellows, Members and Subscribers:

During the year we published the 2006 issue of the Borneo Research Bulletin, Volume 37. And we look forward to publishing Volume 38 before year’s end. This will bring us up to date.

Death of Nathaniel Gerhart At His Field Site in Berau

Amanda King, partner of Nathaniel Gerhart writes:

On August 3, Nathaniel Gerhart, a graduate student from the University of California, Berkeley [Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management] was killed in a motorcycle accident in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Nathaniel had been carrying out dissertation research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Fulbright Foundation to understand community roles in forest management in the districts of Berau and Kutai Timur. His ethnographic study examined how community involvement in forest conservation produced different results for two indigenous groups – the Lebbo’ and Wahea Dayaks - under different district government management regimes.

Nathaniel’s research reflected his passionate commitment to what he called ‘the middle ground’ - the inhabited areas of tropical forest that lie between heavily degraded environments and the more pristine sites that draw most conservation funding and attention. He strongly felt that although these areas produce complicated problems for those seeking to balance economic benefits, human rights and conservation, they also represent the future of forest conservation as areas where environmental change happens most rapidly and where abuses of forest and forest societies are the most egregious and the most preventable. His research on the democratization of forest management contributed to a larger body of research on the role of institutional choice in natural resource decentralization and the connections between decentralization and socially just approaches to resource management.

Nathaniel is survived by his mother Gail, his sister Leslie, and his partner Amanda King, a Fulbright fellow who worked with him in Berau and Kutai Districts to understand the impacts of oil palm plantation development on the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. His friends and his family mourn his loss, but hope his commitment to the forests and the communities of East Kalimantan will be passed on to the many people whose lives he touched.

BRC 2008 Conference to Be Held In Sabah, July 29-31

BRC 2008 Conference will be held from Tuesday 29 of July to Thursday 31 July 2008.

Conference Theme: Borneo on the Move – Continuity and Change

A Photographic Competition and Exhibition on the Conference theme will be held in conjunction with the Conference from Monday 28 July to Friday 1 August 2008.

Conference website: http://sepanggar.wordpress.com.

Conference e-mail address will be: brc2008ums@gmail.com.

Jacquie Pugh-Kitingan, Ph.D., the 2008 BRC Conference Chairperson writes:

We have had to revise the Conference registration due to rising costs. It is now fixed at RM 350 for participants and presenters and RM 175 for students. There is no early-bird/late registration difference....

I hope to get out the notices soon. I have applied to MAS for special discounts on international fares for participants, but we won't know those details for another 6 months.

Cost of Mailing Monographs and Other Publications

The US Mail has cut out all international surface mail, including Canada. All mail now goes by air mail. This has increased our postage costs materially. For example, it now costs US$18.00 to send one heavy, hard bound monograph. Before the cost was US$8. For mailing the BRB domestically the cost has increased from US$2.50 to US$2.80. For overseas mailing of the BRB it has increased from US$6.00/$7.00 to US$13.00/$14.00. The total cost of this alone is US$1210.00 per issue.

We are thus confronted with the problem of increasing costs. As you know we keep our sales price of new publications low so that new research can be widely distributed. As result the sales do not fully meet our preparing and printing costs.

 We are investigating various strategies to cut these costs, one of which is to have the BRB printed and mailed overseas. But this has not yet proved successful.

Increase of Fees

In the meantime we have had to increase our mailing fees and Fellowship and Member fees as follows:

New Monograph and Proceedings Mailings:

• First book: increased from $8 to $20

• Each additional book: increased from $3 to $5.

Fellowships and Memberships Increase of Dues

For the US and Europe:
Fellows: increased from $30 to $35
Members and subscriptions: increased from $25 to $30

For Malaysia:
Fellows: increased from RM 57.00 to RM 60.40
Members: increased from RM 47.50 to RM 51.75
Library rate: US$30

For Indonesia:
Fellows: increased from Rp.140,000 to Rp. 158,100
Members: increased from Rp.115,000 to Rp.135,500
Library rate: US$30

If these new fees cause any hardship, please contact Alan Morse, the business manager (brc@borneoresearchcouncil.org), and I am sure we can help resolve any difficulties.

Monographs, Proceedings, and Occasional Papers

We are currently processing for publication:

• The Kemaloh Lundayeh--English Dictionary complied by Ricky Ganang, Jay Crain, and Vicki Pearson-Rounds. It is about 466 pages and will take some time to get ready for printing.

• Uma’Jalan Kenyah Women and Men in Interaction with Borneo’s Forests, by Carol J. Pierce Colfer. (This monograph, with a new summary chapter, has a number of articles that pertain to the issue of the adverse effects on women’s status of social change.)

We are also exploring how to proceed on publishing the field diaries and letters of Monica Freeman. A shortened version of these entitled, “Twenty-One Doors: The Diaries and Letters of Monica Freeman”, was prepared for publication through the press at the Australian National University. But the press was closed down prior to publishing the book. If a publisher is found for “Twenty-One Doors”, it raises the question of the value of publishing the full version.

Vinson and Joanne Sutlive are editing the Memoirs of Janang Ensiring. These will be ready for publishing sometime in the future.

We also have had inquiries about publishing the Linguistic Papers from the BRC Conferences in Brunei and Pontianak edited by Peter Martin and Peter Sercombe. But we have yet to receive the manuscript.

We are still talking with Cliff Sather to encourage him to prepare a volume containing his important essays and we are still hoping that Amy Kimball will permit us to publish her extensive work on Brunei Toponyms. 

Publication Sales and Discounts

 The discount to Fellows for the purchase of publications of the BRC remains 25%. Members receive a 10% discount.

We have put aside a number of complete sets of the Proceedings to sell for $45 per set.

Reviews of Research And Scholarly Literature In Various Disciplines

One of the exciting developments these past two years has been the establishment of a new series of publications that review the status of research and scholarly publications in various fields. The number of scholarly fields in Borneo studies has expanded so that it is difficult to keep up with developments in subjects other than one’s own specialties. It is hoped that these reviews will help scholars determine what research from other disciplines might be relevant to their own research and also provide students with the necessary information to help them prepare for their research in Borneo.

If these reviews are lengthy they will be published as Occasional Papers; if shorter in length, they will appear in the BRB.

We have invited the following individuals to prepare reviews:

• Sander Adelaar, a survey of linguistic research in Borneo

• Motomitsu Uchibori, a review of research in Borneo by Japanese scholars

• Menno Schilthuizen, a review paper on the history of evolutionary biology in Borneo

• Jacqueline Pugh-Kitingan, a review of ethnomusicology in Borneo

• Leslie Potter, historical research on Kalimantan from the Dutch period onwards

• Chris Hunt, review of the environmental change over the last 100,000 years

Reviews which have already appeared in Volume 36 ( 2005) of the Borneo Research Bulletin:

• Menno Schilthuizen, After the Sarawak Law: Evolutional Biology in Borneo Since 1855.

• Nicolas Tarling, Further Notes on the Historiography of British Borneo

We want to express our thanks to these authors for their excellent work!

We are searching for other scholars to provide reviews on the status of research in various disciplines. These could include a review of botanical research in Borneo, a review of studies on the uses of plants by various peoples of Borneo, a review of medical research, and reviews of biological research such as those on birds, trees, fish, snakes, mammals, etc.

Requests for Suggestions and Volunteers: We would appreciate recommendations as to what disciplines need reviews and those scholars and scientists who would undertake such work. Or would you volunteer for one of these reviews? We would welcome volunteers and nominations.

Importance of this series: In addition to making an important contribution to scholarship, this series will help position the publications of the BRC and particularly the Bulletin so that they appeal to a wider audience. We need to extend the reach of the BRC for reasons of both scholarship and finances. It is also hoped that these reviews will stimulate correspondence on the particular reviews, adding information that may be more current, enlarging on or disagreeing with the conclusions of the author so that the scholarly community will benefit.

The Work of Carol J. Pierce Colfer

From time to time I believe it is important to draw attention to the work of Bornean researchers. Carol J. Pierce Colfer ( M.A., M.P.H., Ph. D.) at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), has been unusually productive. She has been concerned with women’s roles in social change, poverty, health, and in developing the Adaptive Collaborative Management theory and practice. This is based on development as designed by the people themselves. And her work is to provide a voice for those segments of society whose voices are not heard and who do not have straightforward access to resources.

Her two recent books are:

Colfer, Carol J. Pierce

2005      The Complex Forest: Communities, Uncertainty, and Adaptive Collaborative Management. Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future.

Colfer, Carol J. Pierce (ed.)

2005      The Equitable Forest: Diversity, Community and Natural Resources. Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future.

Here let me quote partially from a recent review of these two books:

 “The systematic analysis of the theory, processes, and early outcomes of Adaptive Collaborative Management (ACM) as a natural resource research and management approach lies at the heart of these two companion books....ACM is defined in The Complex Forest as a “value adding approach whereby people who have an interest in a forest agree to act together to plan, observe, and learn from the implementation of their plans while recognizing that plans often fail to achieve their stated objectives” (p.4). ... One of the driving concerns behind the research presented in both these books is the recognition that continued inequities in social relationships (e.g., male-female, permanent agriculturalist-shifting agriculturalist, North-South, wealthy-poor, plantation owners-small holders, low cast-high caste) are key factors in influencing the success or failure of management practices aimed at sustainable use of forest resources.” (From Amity A. Doolittle’s review appearing in Ecological Economics 62:758-9, 2007)

Dr. Colfer is Principal Scientist, Governance Division, CIFOR. Conducting and coordinating research, analysis, and writing pertaining to ACM governance issues in/near forests, gender and health in a number of countries. Current focus on gender, biodiversity, decentralization and forest and health, globally.

Colfer is also Team Leader, Local People Devolution and Adaptive Collaborative Management. 

A selected bibliogaphy includes:

 Colfer, Carol J. Pierce

1993    Shifting Cultivators of Indonesia: Marauders or Managers of the Forest? FAO: Community Forestry Shifting Cultivation Series (with Richard G. Dudley).
1999    Afterword. Riska: Memories of a Dayak Girl. Linda Spaulding, ed. Canada: Alfred A. Knopf.

 Colfer, Carol J. Pierce (ed.)

n.d.      Human health and Forests: A Global Interdisciplinary Overview. London: CIFOR/Earthscan. In Press. 

Colfer, Carol J. Pierce, D. Sheil and M. Kishi 

2006    Forests and Human Health: Assessing the Evidence. CIFOR Occasional Paper No. 45. Bogor, India: CIFOR. 

Colfer, Carol J. Pierce and Ida Aju Pradnja Resosudarmo (eds.) 

2002    Which Way Forward ?: People, Forests, and Policymaking in Indonesia. Washington, D.C.: Resources for the Future.

Colfer, Carol J. Pierce and Doris Capistrano (eds.) 

2005    The Politics of Decentralization: Forest, Power and People. Earthscan Publications Ltd. 

In addition Carol Colfer (and Richard/Dudley) have published a book called Vignettes from a Year in Borneo. It is on a “print on demand” website, called lulu.com. The website allows would-be readers to download the contents of the book very cheaply or for a little more the site will print the book. This book arises from a personal story about Colfer’s family year in Danau Sentarum Wildlife Reserve (now National Park) to convey some of the humanity of the people they were working with, rather than having them be some sort of anonymous “community members;” and also to convey some of the constraints to effective conservation efforts. Royalties will go to Riak Bumi, an NGO in West Kalimantan.

Dr. Colfer is still involved in the Danau Sentarum National Park in a supervisory role of a team involved in ecological studies and participatory efforts with communities and local government.

Mail Address for Dr. Colfer

Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR),
PO Box 6596 JKPWB,  JAKARTA 10065, INDONESIA                                                 

tel(pers): +62-251-622622 ext. 180
tel(org): +62-251-622622
fax: +62-251-622100
email(org): k.kustiyawati@cgiar.org 
email(pers): c.colfer@cgiar.org
url(org): http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/

International Board of Editors For BRC Publications

Information on this board appeared in last year’s newsletter. As it has been a most productive year for this Board, it has been decided to offer the members of the Board a 40% discount on all BRC publications in appreciation of their work.

We welcome hearing from anyone who would be interested in participating on this Board.

Authors of Articles That Appear In The Bulletin Who Are Not Members of The BRC

The financial situation for the BRC would improve if those who submit articles for the Bulletin would become Members or Fellows of the BRC. This would help cover the costs of printing their articles. There has been some discussion on how to handle this. We have considered charging nonmembers a publication fee. This was not met with great enthusiasm by the executive committee.

The following policy was developed to handle the problem. All authors who are not Members or Fellows will receive a Membership or Fellowship for the year of publication in the Bulletin. It is hoped by this they will be encouraged to continue their membership.

Any other thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

BRC Website

The website (www.borneoresearchcouncil.org) now includes a list of Members and Fellows, all our publications including a table of contents for each, President's Reports, announcements, history of the BRC, application for membership, information on the BRC Medals and Biennial Conferences, list of Officers, etc.

Administration

Present Volunteers: The BRC's ability to generate scholarly work is a result of the volunteer work of various Fellows and Members of the Council. Vinson Sutlive continues to oversee and advise on the work of the BRC and has been instrumental in maintaining the Biennial Conferences.

Editor of the Bulletin: Clifford Sather has devoted much of his time to the editorship of the Borneo Research Bulletin. This is a hard, time-consuming job, but it has its rewards in the response of those who read the Bulletin and who find this material useful in their own research. Cliff has done an exceeding excellent job of keeping up the scholarly contents of the Bulletin. And his scholarly, graceful, and informative editorial notes are truly enjoyable.

Book Review Editor and Current Bibliographer: Dr. A. V. M. Horton is the Book Review Editor and Current Bibliography Compiler for the Borneo Research Bulletin. A Bibliography of recent publications will appear in each issue of the Bulletin. Books for review, reprints or other notices of recent publication would be gratefully received by the editor. Please send these to: Dr. A.V.M. Horton, 180 Hither Green Lane, Bordesley, Worcestershire B98 9AZ,  ENGLAND (e-mail: avmhorton@hotmail.com)

We want to thank Tony for his important and valuable work.

New Volunteers and Additional Volunteers Needed

It has been a wonderful year for volunteering! Jay Crain has offered to read and evaluate manuscripts, as have Rajindra Puri, Nicholas Tarling, and the Earl of Cranbrook. Others have offered help, such as Reed Wadley, Adela Baer and Bjorn Dahlen.

But we could use more volunteers to help in the running of the BRC! In particular there is a need to increase the distribution of our publications. We need a volunteer who is knowledgeable in this area. We also need someone who might man a table at various association meetings, as Vinson Sutlive has in the past.

Finances

The income and expense statement for the past two years is attached. This does not include the full cost of labor which has been donated by various individuals. We really need to increase contributions and develop new sources of income.

The Endowment Fund has grown from $6220.28 in 2005 to $7402.90 in 2006. The Endowment Fund is invested in the Vanguard Selected Value Fund. It is now large enough to earn sufficient income to include in our financial statements.

New Members and Fellows

The Council has a policy of welcoming new Fellows and Members by sending them the latest issue of the Bulletin and a receipt to let them know that they are logged in as Fellows or Members.

Contributors to the Endowment Fund

Ms. E. Kim Adams, Antiquarian Booksellers, Mr. Ralph Arbus, Dr. Clare Boulanger, Dr. Jay B. Crain, Dr. Michael R. Dove, Professor Virginia Hooker, Mrs. Charity Appell McNabb, Professor H. Arlo Nimmo, Dr. & Mrs. Otto Steinmayer, Drs. Patricia & Herbert L. Whittier, Dr. W. D. Wilder, Dr. Robert L. Winzeler, Dr. Patricia Matusky Yamaguchi.

Contributors To The General Fund

Dr. Matthew Amster, Dr. Jennifer Alexander, Antiquarian Booksellers, Dr. G. N. Appell, Mr. Ralph Arbus, Mr. A. J. Bacon, Dr. Adela Baer, Dr. Martin Baier, Dr. Clare Boulanger, Dr. Carol J. Colfer, Dr. Jay B. Crain, Dr. and Mrs. Allen Drake, Ms. Katherine Edwards, Dr. Richard Fidler, Ms. Judith Heimann, Mrs. Eva Maria Kershaw, Mr. John W. McCarthy, Jr., Dr. Peter Metcalf, Professor Howard McKaughan, Mr. John D. Pearson, Ms. Vicki Pearson-Rounds, Dato Seri John Pike, Dr. Clifford Sather, Professor F. Andrew Smith, Dr. & Mrs. Otto Steinmayer, Dr. Jack Stuster, Fr. Brian Taylor, Dr. Philip Thomas, Dr. Reed Wadley, Drs. Patricia & Herbert L. Whittier, Mr. James Wickes, Dr. W. D. Wilder, Mr. William Wilkinson, Dr. Robert L. Winzeler, Dr. Leigh Wright, Dr. Patricia Matusky Yamaguchi, Mr. Herwig Zahorka.

The Passages Of Life: New Blood Needed

Many of us who have devoted our energies and time to make the Borneo Research Council successful are no longer young. We need new blood now. In the next few years it will be mandatory to keep the BRC vital. We hope various individuals will step forward.

George N. Appell, Ph.D.

President