The scarcity of various useful forest plant species for the local community's life (plants for traditional crafts, traditional medicines, customary ceremonies, local fruits, traditional houses, etc.) poses a serious threat to the sustainability of local wisdom traditions of the Kalimantan people. Kalimantan forests are home to dozens of local fruit plant species that are very distinctive, and many of them are endemic species of the Kalimantan Island. Even some of the local fruit species in Kalimantan have been classified as extinct in the wild according to the IUCN status.
Based on the ethnobotanical study conducted by LIPI (currently BRIN) in the original PT BEK area since 2010, it was found that the communities surrounding the concession still rely on the forest and its resources. One of them is the utilization of local fruits for personal consumption and selling as a source of income for the community. Therefore, in 2022-2023, PT BEK collaborates again with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to conduct a study on the diversity of potential local fruit plants as a strategy for sustainable preservation in the PT Bharinto Ekatama concession area. This study will be very beneficial to support the empowerment of the local potential-based economy, the preservation of the diversity of native Kalimantan/Indonesia plants, sustainable economic preservation, etc.
