The island of Buton sits in the Wallacea region, a biological transition zone where the flora and fauna of Asia and Australia meet. Beneath its topsoil lie vast deposits of natural asphalt, known as Asbuton. When the national government moved to prioritize these domestic reserves over foreign imports, the pressure on the island’s forests intensified. For the people of the collective, the forest is not a source of pavement, but a school and a sanctuary.
The group was recently chosen from among 818 applicants to join the Global Landscapes Forum as a new chapter. This designation brings more than international recognition; it provides the collective with the technical tools, including GPS devices, needed to formalize their customary land rights. By documenting their territory and practicing regenerative agriculture, they are building a protective mechanism of trees to halt the encroachment of mining projects.
To the members of the collective, this work is about building a bridge between the village and the world. They understand that the nickel and asphalt under their feet are the gears of a global economy, yet they choose to prioritize the integrity of the Wakatobi coral system and the terrestrial reserves that sustain them. Their restoration effort is a declaration that a landscape’s value is measured not by what can be extracted from it, but by what is allowed to remain.
Joining this network is about building bridges between grassroots communities and global knowledge to showcase our work for Earth's restoration.
By integrating community-driven ecosystem restoration with the defense of Indigenous land rights, they ensure that the voice of the village is heard as clearly as the sound of the machinery at the forest's edge. In this corner of Southeast Sulawesi, the act of planting a tree has become a profound gesture of permanence.