CARING FOR NATURAL HERITAGE AND HEALTH
World Wildlife Day 2026 carries the theme ‘Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Conserving Health, Heritage, and Livelihoods’. It highlights the vital role of these plants in supporting human health, preserving traditional knowledge, and sustaining the livelihoods of communities that depend on nature.
This theme strongly aligns with BOS Foundation’s long-standing community empowerment programs involving Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in Central and East Kalimantan.
Indigenous Communities and Forests: An Inseparable Relationship
For Indigenous Peoples and local communities, forests are not merely living spaces. They are sources of food, medicine, knowledge, and cultural identity. Yet these communities are often marginalised, with limited access to land and natural resource rights, while also bearing the pressures of landscape change and large-scale development.
Through its community empowerment programs, BOS Foundation works alongside 28 communities in Central and East Kalimantan to strengthen local institutional capacity, support the recognition of rights over forest areas and traditional lands, and encourage active community involvement in sustainable forest protection and management. This approach goes beyond wildlife conservation; it also prioritises the long-term well-being of the people who have safeguarded these forests for generations.
Parijoto (Medinilla speciosa) is one of the plethora of medicinal plants. I is believed to enhance fertility.
115 Local Plant Species: Living Knowledge
Through the assistance provided to these 28 communities, approximately 115 local plant species have been documented, including food crops, medicinal plants, and non-timber forest products. These plants are not merely inventory data; they represent living knowledge passed down through generations and still actively used by local communities for their functions.
One example is the young leaves of putat (Planchonia valida), traditionally used as herbal remedies for gastritis, bloating, and respiratory problems such as bronchitis, as well as for maintaining healthy hair. These leaves are also rich in calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin B. They are often eaten raw for their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, which help relieve gum inflammation and reduce stress. Another example is the parijoto (Medinilla speciosa), which is high in antioxidants and believed to enhance fertility, support pregnant women’s immune systems, and help treat diarrhoea and mouth ulcers. In addition, pasak bumi (Eurycoma longifolia) is widely known as a herbal plant that boosts stamina and male vitality.
Safeguarding Health, Heritage, and Livelihoods
In line with the theme of World Wildlife Day, BOS Foundation’s empowerment programs. By strengthening community capacity to document, manage, and sustainably utilise natural resources, communities not only preserve ancestral knowledge but also create environmentally friendly economic opportunities.
This approach ensures that conservation does not stand apart from human well-being. On the contrary, forest protection becomes stronger when the communities that depend on it have fair roles, rights, and benefits.
Inclusive Conservation for the Future
By strengthening IPLCs, BOS Foundation promotes an inclusive conservation model in which Indigenous Peoples and local communities become key actors in protecting forests, conserving biodiversity, and safeguarding traditional knowledge that remains relevant to contemporary challenges, including health and resilience.
On this World Wildlife Day, stories from Central and East Kalimantan remind us that protecting wildlife and medicinal plants also means protecting people, cultures, and our shared future. When forests are cared for with awareness and respect, their benefits continue to flow from nature to sustain life.
