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| The Common Swamplands of Southeastern Borneo: Multiple use, Management and Conflict" in "The Question of the Commons" |
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Reference |
| Vondal, Patricia J:"The Common Swamplands of Southeastern Borneo: Multiple use, Management and Conflict" in "The Question of the Commons", The University of Arizona Press:Tucson |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| The case study focuses on an indigenous common property system which describes the multiple uses of the swamp. The swamp provides fish for the fishermen.The swampwater is a place to herd ducks and also a source of food for the duck farmers. Several type of swampwater vegetation are harvested by the men, women and children for family meals. There is a plant "ganggang" (Hydrilla verticiliata) which is supposed to be a very popular duck feed component said to incease ducks' appetites. Some men use "ganggang" to make much larger traps |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| Spatial:The village Desa Satu is located on freshwater swamplands between the Barito and Negara rivers in the South Kalimantan province of Indonesian Borneo which has a high population density.
Social:The Western part of Nortg Hulu Sungai Regency,where the study village is located,is the locale of the primary sources of fertile duck eggs and the largest center of Alabio duckling hatcheries in South Kalimantan.
Land use : All the dry lands in Desa Satu is privately owned. Individuals obtain lands through inheritance in accord with Muslim rules. As the rainy season begins the boundaries of privately owned lands disappear with the flooded rivers. The area covered by water becomes a common property resource, whereas in dry season only permanently inundated swampland is considered common property.
Use of Common Swampland: This is an open access resource. Access to the swamplands and flooded rice fields is essential for the duck farmers. At the end of the harvest duck farmers are allowed gleaning rights to privately owned fields where their ducks forages.As the flood water deepens the privately owned village duck is allowed to swim in flocks freely throughout the the village territory. But as the water table lowers and lands become visible, the fields are no longer treated as open access, since all the available land in Desa Satu is privately owned . Once crops begin to be planted ducks are not allowed to be herded in the fields |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| Not reported |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| Fishing is a open access activity in the swampland where women and girls are not allowed to fish.Men from neighbouring villages may come to Desa Satu waters to fish.The trap owners cannot hold permanent rights to sites in the swamps used by them it is a first come,first served rule. Fishermen avoid waters immediately adjacent to the homes of other people and is considered an extension of the households private domain, which is used by the family for bathing, washing clothes, obtaining cooking and cleaning water etc. Secondly fish found in a section the river that runs through an individuals private property are the exclusive property of that individual. The landowner may allow others to fish there in exchange for a share of the catch. |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| 1)Destruction of elevated potato mounds by the resting ducks 2)Unaccompanied foraging ducks,who eat away unharvested rice from another's field.3)Conflict over duck farmers large fish trap,thus limiting the area available for the rest,and also the amount of fish available to all. |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| The farmers who work on large fish traps are able to maintain large duck flocks, but this leads to a less equitable distribution of access to the commons and also a decline in the swamp's fish resources. |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| Because of the growing pressure on the swamp's resources as well as the growing anger in the community possibly the villagers would compromise on two grounds:1)place a limit on the circumference of the large fish trap to accomodate everyone who uses the swampland.2)limit the use of swampwater area in the dry season to Desa Satu residents. |
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Purpose |
| To bring out the possibility of co-existence of communal as well as individual rights to land |
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Country |
| Indonesia (Borneo) |
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Region |
| Vill:Desa Satu |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-15/03/96 |
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