Mata Pandawa Biosphere Reserve: From Commitment to Collaborative Action

On 29 January 2026, Sangga Bumi Lestari had the opportunity to witness an important milestone in landscape-based collaborative conservation in West Kalimantan: formal approval by the Governor of West Kalimantan and the Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation of the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry to seek UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status for Mata Pandawa. 

Mata Pandawa is a portmanteau of Karimata, Palung, and Mendawak. These three connected landscapes cover the districts of Ketapang, Sanggau, Kayong Utara, and Kubu Raya. This Biosphere Reserve is proposed as a way to formally bring these landscapes together under one multi-stakeholder management forum, advancing standardised management of Mata Pandawa'a peat swamps, tropical forests, mangroves, and orangutan habitat. 

Sangga Bumi Lestari has worked in the Mendawak landscape for several years and is proud to support the Mata Pandawa Biosphere Reserve as one of the government's technical partners. 

The signing reaffirms the commitment of both central and local governments to strengthening cross-sector collaborative landscape governance and reinforces West Kalimantan as a model for multi-stakeholder forest management.