The journey to Bunisari and Cipageureun Villages isn't just a physical journey; it's a journey through time. From Cisompet Highway, vehicles must crawl for 40 minutes along a narrow, potholed concrete road barely wide enough for one car. If oncoming traffic approaches, one must yield and navigate between the forest and community gardens.
At an elevation of approximately 534 meters above sea level, the two hamlets that make up Cikondang Village seem to stand in the embrace of the forest. Tall trees form a green corridor separating the villages from the hustle and bustle of the city. The cool air highlights the pristine beauty of this area, home to diverse flora such as red-tipped cloves, cardamom, and rubber trees, as well as increasingly rare fauna such as Javan gibbons, surili, monkeys, and even clouded leopards.
Here, the boundary between forest and human life is separated only by small community fields. These flora and fauna live in the pristine forest of the Cikondang community. Their habitat borders directly on gardens, fields, and residential areas. The village and forest live side by side, protecting each other.
A Life Based on the Land
The majority of the people in Bunisari and Cipageureun make their living as farmers, cultivating everything from wet rice paddies to gardens, where a variety of crops are their source of livelihood.
Cardamom and sugar palm are their main sources of income, followed by petai, bananas, and cloves, which support many families. The harvest is collected by collectors who come in trucks and transport it to the district market.
The community maintains this farm in an environmentally friendly manner, without using chemical fertilizers. They recognize that chemical fertilizer use negatively impacts land quality. They utilize livestock manure to produce organic fertilizer, and utilize fallen leaves as a natural nutrient for the soil and plants. This ecological awareness didn't just arise; it grew out of the dark times that once haunted the village.
When Individual Awareness Awakens the Village
About 15 years ago, the people of these two villages did not have a healthy relationship with nature. They hunted wild animals in the forest, cut down trees, and poisoned fish in the river. They did this for economic gain. The pristine area, surrounded by dense forest, harbors many species of plants and animals rarely found elsewhere. This is what led many people to seek out the natural resources found in Bunisari and Cipageureun Villages.
Hamam Saefuloh is one of them. The head of the Cimerak Lestari organization, he admits his past without hesitation:
Now that I'm aware of the damage to my area, I have to think about the future of my children and grandchildren in this village. Through planting, I mobilize the community to restore the area. Hamam Saefuloh, Chairman of Cimerak Lestari.
He used to be a hunter, a fish bomber in the river, and a destroyer of the forest and water sources in his village. However, he is now a driving force in Cipageureun who cares about the environment. He initiated the formation of an environmental organization. He enthusiastically encourages the community to plant trees and enforces the prohibition against destroying nature.
The situation began to change when they felt the impacts firsthand: drought during the dry season and landslides that destroyed homes in the village. The community finally realized that ecosystem damage was directly proportional to the threat to their own lives.
With the assistance of the Young Nature Lovers Wanderers (REKAPALA) and WALHI In West Java, change has begun. Slowly, communities are restoring the environment and raising public awareness about preserving their region.
For the past 2 years, REKAPALA has been providing assistance to the Jasa Muda group, an environmental conservation group and observer of the Javan Gibbon. This Young Services Group plays a central role in monitoring, approaching and expelling perpetrators of logging in the Cikondang Forest.
Village Rules and New Awareness
This year, Cikondang Village passed a Village Regulation to protect its territory. The regulation prohibits logging near water sources, prohibits hunting of endemic species, and even prohibits fishing methods that damage rivers. Protected endemic species include Javan gibbons, tigers, pangolins, hornbills, and porcupines. This is a significant step rarely seen at the village level.
Javan Gibbons: Weather Signaling Forest Guardians
Among the endemic animals, the Javan gibbon ( Hylobates moloch ) is the most prominent. Their population continues to decline in many places, but in Bunisari and Cipageureun, they can still be found.
The Javan gibbon's population continues to decline due to rampant hunting and changes in its habitat. Consequently, the Javan gibbon is classified as endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List. The IUCN previously listed this species as Critically Endangered (CR) in 1996 and 2000. (Sumber: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/10550/17966495)
The Javan gibbon's habitat is in West Java, Central Java, and Banten. One example is Bunisari and Cipageureun villages. In this region, the Javan gibbon lives in an area administratively belonging to Cikondang Village, Cisompet District, Garut Regency. They survive by eating plant shoots in the forest. Their habitat is adjacent to community fields and gardens.
The Bunisari and Cipageureun villages cover 300 hectares. Within these areas, there are three blocks of Javan gibbon habitat, each covering 60 hectares. The Panyindangan, Jolok, and Cipalasari blocks each cover 20 hectares. According to research by Winaya Mukti University (UNWIM), the number of Javan gibbons in Bunisari and Cipageureun villages in the three blocks is currently 14 individuals, spread across five groups.
According to ancestral beliefs, the Javan Gibbons in this village possess the ability to detect threats and disasters early on. They alert humans with their vocalizations when threats are present. Therefore, it is crucial for the people of Bunisari and Cipageureun villages to protect the Javan Gibbon habitat. Their traditional belief is that they should not disturb other animals living in the same area as the community.
The people of this village also possess the skill of hearing and recognizing the distinct sounds made by Javan gibbons. A gibbon's call in the morning signals the arrival of rain during the day, allowing the community to predict activity in their gardens and fields. A high-pitched, loud gibbon call signals an imminent threat, such as a leopard approaching the village.
The presence of Javan gibbons also indicates that the forest they inhabit is still pristine and lush with trees. This means that if Javan gibbons are no longer found in this village, the forest is certainly degraded. This directly impacts the community's livelihoods. Their livelihoods depend on the forest, especially water. If the forest is cleared, water sources are also degraded.
About 15 years ago, hunting of endemic species was a thing of the past. The absence of gibbons means their habitat is being destroyed, and the absence of trees indicates that the area is being damaged. The local community must protect nature, as we all need springs; trees mean springs. Protect nature, protect wildlife! Apip Solahudin, a resident of Bunisari Village.
Currently, the community, assisted by REKAPALA, is working to upgrade the status of the Javan Gibbon habitat area to an essential ecosystem area with the Ministry of Forestry. Regulations regarding essential ecosystem areas can be found in Director General of KSDAE Regulation P.1/2021. Essential ecosystem areas are areas outside of nature reserves, nature conservation areas, and hunting parks that are ecologically important for biodiversity.
According to the Regulation of the Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Number: P.1/KSDAE/BPE2/KSA/4/2/2021 concerning Technical Guidelines for Assessing the Effectiveness of Essential Ecosystem Area Management. Protection of essential ecosystem areas is carried out through: (1) preventing, mitigating, and limiting damage caused by humans, livestock, nature, invasive species, pests, and diseases; (2) carrying out effective area security.
The application process for essential ecosystem areas must be carried out by communities who understand the importance of protecting local ecosystems. This is the basis for the community's initiative to propose protection for the Javan gibbon habitat. The community has already mapped potential areas and identified locations. The proposal will then be submitted to the central government, specifically the Ministry of Forestry.
Protecting Areas with Nurseries
Previously, the community's territory was covered only by woody forest plants that had no value other than their timber. However, as their awareness grew, they began to preserve the area and meet their economic needs. They planted a variety of crops that could be used beyond their wood. They grew petai, cloves, cardamom, avocado, mango, and many others. Besides meeting the community's needs, the fruit plants also served as food for the Javan gibbon.
In 2025, the communities of Bunisari and Cipageureun villages initiated a restoration effort by planting over 2.000 seedlings, consisting of perennials and fruit trees, on approximately 20 hectares of land in Cipageureun. Furthermore, they also initiated the development of a nursery in Bunisari.
In Bunisari, the community has established a nursery that accommodates 2.000 seedlings annually. These seedlings will be planted in degraded areas in need of restoration. The seedlings consist of 70% cultivated plants and 30% multi-purpose ecological plants that restore springs and provide food for Javan gibbons.
The plant species being cultivated are being propagated. The communities in Bunisari and Cipageureun villages need plant seeds to provide a source of income. Furthermore, they are planting ecologically valuable plants to promote restoration by planting them in degraded areas. They are also ensuring that planting locations are in critical areas, such as near springs and riverbanks.
Furthermore, another function is to preserve the habitat of endemic animals, one of which is the Javan gibbon. Planting cultivated crops in community areas can increase income, reducing dependence on the Javan gibbon habitat. In fragmented Javan gibbon habitat areas, planting trees to bridge one population with another is also necessary. This restoration of these areas can increase interbreeding and enhance the genetic diversity of the Javan gibbon.
Community initiatives don't stop there; after the planting, people are increasingly motivated to restore damaged areas in their communities. Public awareness of protecting and restoring their territories is growing. These independent initiatives can increase ownership of the territory and the livelihoods it contains.