Rehabilitation of Critical Land in the Semende Ulu Nasal Customary Area, Bengkulu, by Planting Agarwood Trees

The Semende Ulu Nasal customary territory in Bengkulu, according to the customary territory map, covers 8.212,71 hectares. Unfortunately, more than 10% of this territory is currently in critical condition due to oil palm concession permits. This has resulted in the long-term destruction of endemic plant varieties in the customary territory. To prevent this situation from continuing, the Semende Ulu Nasal Indigenous Community is rejecting land acquisition by oil palm plantation companies and wants to reclaim part of their customary territory.

After years of struggle, in 2025, the Semende Ulu Nasal Indigenous Community successfully regained rights to 400 hectares of land within a palm oil concession agreed upon by the Kaur Regency Government and the National Land Agency (BPN). After securing land rights, the Indigenous Community carried out land rehabilitation and restoration in the buffer zones and critical areas of the former palm oil plantation area by planting 2000 endemic agarwood trees.

The goal of this initiative is to restore the protected area's function and restore its customary territory. This initiative also includes the construction of a nursery as a center for sustainable tree seedling production. Furthermore, the nursery serves as a center for activities at the Semende Ulu Nasal Indigenous Community's traditional school, where they learn about collecting and replanting traditional medicinal plants as an effort to preserve the community's local knowledge. This medicinal plant collection also serves as part of environmental restoration and serves as a practical-based educational tool at the traditional school.

The impact is that the Semende Ulu Nasal Indigenous Community in Muara Dua Village, Nasal District, Kaur Regency, Bengkulu has the knowledge to restore its customary territory which was damaged by oil palm plantation concessions, increasing the understanding and solidarity of the Indigenous Community regarding the importance of protecting land and water sources by planting which has a direct impact on environmental conservation in Muara Dua Nasal Village.