Caring Women Rehabilitate the Green Belt of the Bili-Bili Reservoir in Gowa 

Since the construction of the BIli-Bili Dam in 1994, the Beroanging Community in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi, has lost the agricultural land that had been their primary source of livelihood. Residents who previously relied on rice fields and gardens have been forced to live in the dam's green belt, an area under state control and under constant threat of eviction. For years, residents have lived in uncertainty, stigmatized as environmental destroyers and limited access to decent living spaces.

The situation became even more complex when the residents' economic activities, consisting of 20 small stalls (Lesehan Beroanging), which had stood on the edge of the dam for 30 years, were accused of being the source of plastic waste pollution. Furthermore, the rampant illegal mining and illegal logging carried out by outsiders resulted in landslides and silting of the Bili-bili Reservoir, threatening the safety of the surrounding community's settlements. These accusations strengthened the legitimacy of the threat of eviction, while placing the community in an increasingly marginalized position. Rather than being defensive, women in particular chose a different path by taking direct responsibility for the cleanliness and sustainability of the area. Since 2015, regular mutual cooperation activities have been carried out to clean the dam's green belt, which has gradually changed the public and government's perception of the Beroanging community. In 2023, the Beroanging FKPL received the 3rd national award for Environmental Conservation from the Ministry of Public Works.

The role of women strengthened when the threat of eviction resurfaced in 2020. In 2021, in collaboration with the Environmental Care Foundation, the previously informal initiative was institutionalized through the formation of the Beroanging Women's Care Group. The name Beroanging was retained because in the local Bugis language it means "New Wind" or "New Business." In 2025, amidst the threat of relocation, this Women's Group, with the support of Dana Nusantara and accompanied by YPL, organized through a series of critical education sessions for the rehabilitation of the green belt environment in the Lesehan Beroanging area. Members of this Women's Community care for the environment while simultaneously fighting for the sustainability of the community's living space. Women's leadership has proven to be able to strengthen internal solidarity and open up dialogue with village and district governments, including the River Basin Center, which welcomed this conservation effort and believes that the Beroanging Community does not threaten the environment, and even the critical green belt of the Bili Bili Reservoir has recovered.

Environmental protection efforts were then developed using an approach that linked conservation and livelihoods. Through the rehabilitation of the dam's green belt, 4.000 trees were planted on 8 hectares of land. The selected plants not only serve as ecological buffers but also have long-term economic value, such as ketapang kencana, mahogany, jabon, eucalyptus, cashew, breadfruit, mango, jackfruit, coconut, soursop, orange, papaya, pineapple, and crystal guava. To ensure sustainability, residents built a seedling house that serves as a source of seedlings and a learning resource for the surrounding community.

The results of this series of efforts are visible in tangible changes at the community level. Women are beginning to be seen as key actors in environmental management and strengthening family economies. The dam's green belt area is recovering, while the community gains certainty of economic benefits through the shared principle that those who plant the land have the right to enjoy the harvest. The relationship between residents and dam management is gradually shifting, from one of conflict to one of cooperation.