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The fate of East Kalimantan’s Dayak tribes is inextricably linked to the success or failure of Indonesia’s efforts to reduce deforestation, an international environmental organization said on Wednesday.

The Dayak Benuaq of Muara Tae, West Kutai Kabupaten, are at the front lines of the issue — faced with palm oil companies eager to expand plantations into the island’s customary forests, the Environmental Investigation Agency said.

Members of the tribe have taken to manning an outpost in the woods in the hopes of dissuading developers. Under current planning laws, the threatened forest is listed as being outside the national forest area, leaving it open to development.

In January 2010, plantation permits for Muara Tae were issued to two palm oil companies, Malaysian-owned Munte Waniq Jaya Perkasa and Borneo Surya Mining Jaya, a subsidiary of Sumatran conglomerate Surya Dumai.

According to EIA, the survival of the Dayak Benuaq depends on the continued existence of the forest they live in.

“There are more than 800 families in Muara Tae relying on the forests for their food, water, medicine, culture and identity. Put simply, they have to keep this forest in order to survive.” said Faith Doherty, EIA’s forest team leader.  

“The rhetoric from the president of Indonesia on curbing emissions by reducing deforestation is strong. But on the front line, where indigenous communities are putting their lives at risk to protect forests, action is sorely missing,” she said.

According to EIA, Muara Tae has lost more than half of its land and forests over the last 20 years to mining companies. The conversion of forestlands to mining purposes is blamed for the drying up of villagers’ clean water sources.

“We are calling for help from people everywhere in protecting our forests and ancestral land,” said Pak Singko, a leader of the Dayak Benuaq.

“We are being squeezed from all sides by mining and plantation companies. This is the last remaining forests that we have and the only land we have to survive. If my forests are gone, our lives will end.”

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently pledged to reduce carbon emissions across the country 26 percent by 2020, while still delivering strong economic growth.