RUBBER TREES AS A LOCAL COMMUNITY HERITAGE
After a successful collaboration on the sustainable use of sugar palm trees, the Community Development Division at Samboja Lestari has launched a similar initiative to utilise rubber trees. This program is part of the BOS Foundation’s ongoing commitment to enhancing community livelihoods while safeguarding environmental sustainability.
Utilising Rubber Trees in Samboja Lestari
The rubber trees involved in this collaboration were originally planted by local communities long before the BOS Foundation acquired and began managing the Samboja Lestari area. Consequently, the management of these rubber trees operates under a cooperative scheme that ensures local residents are the primary beneficiaries.
This rubber tree utilisation partnership has been running since January 2025 and involves four households from Karya Merdeka Village: Sumantri, Sarwi, Sugianto, and Dulrahman. In total, the four community members currently manage 418 rubber trees. The cooperation agreement is valid for one year and is subject to regular evaluation.
Tapping Practices and Local Knowledge
After signing the cooperation agreement, BOS fully entrusted all rubber tapping activities to the tappers involved. Our team accompanied one of the beneficiaries, Sumantri, to observe the tapping process directly in the field. As an experienced rubber tapper, Sumantri demonstrated the tapping techniques and shared valuable local knowledge on rubber tree management.
Trabbed rubber, harvested from trees managed by four local community members in the Samboja Lestari area.
An important aspect of rubber production is the seasonal condition of rubber trees. Tappers cannot perform tapping when the leaves dry up and fall off. They can resume tapping only once new leaves begin to grow, a process that can take up to 2 months. In practice, tappers distinguish between two types of latex: clean rubber latex and dirty rubber. Each has its own market value.
Economic Benefits for Local Communities
The tappers sell latex harvested from rubber trees to local collectors. The prices for latex range from IDR 7,000 to IDR 12,000 per kilogram, depending on its quality and the exchange rate of the Indonesian rupiah against the US dollar. From a single sale, tappers can earn approximately IDR 3,000,000 to IDR 4,000,000, depending on how often they tap.
All proceeds from latex sales are retained in full by the tappers. The BOS Foundation, which owns the land and the rubber trees, does not have a profit-sharing scheme in place. However, BOS requires tappers to report their total sales for transparency and program evaluation purposes.
A Collaborative Effort to Protect Samboja Lestari
Through this rubber tree utilisation partnership, the BOS Foundation hopes that participating community members will also play an active role in protecting the Samboja Lestari area from illegal encroachment. This scheme offers a mutually beneficial solution: communities gain access to sustainable sources of income, while the conservation area remains protected.
By directly involving local communities and encouraging mindful resource use, this collaboration not only strengthens relationships between the BOS Foundation and surrounding residents but also represents a concrete step toward inclusive and sustainable landscape management.
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