In Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island, photovoice helps communities document the impacts of changing forest boundaries

How do people contend with a growing forest when their access to it is restricted? How do they view the land and their sense of place and identity from beyond these curtained forests? 

In South and West Sulawesi, Indonesia, communities answered that question through photography. Their images captured how state-led forest boundary expansion between 1980 and 2005 has shrunk their tenure rights, reshaping their livelihoods, identities and relationship with the land.

The forests they lost

In February 2025, villagers presented these photographs at an exhibition in Tamalea village, West Sulawesi.  Around 60–70% of the area now overlaps with Gandang Dewata National Park, established in 2016, despite long-standing community presence and shifting cultivation practices.

The exhibition grew out of an Explore-supported research project on forest–agriculture frontiers. During fieldwork in mid-2023, researchers lived in participating villages before introducing photovoice, a participatory method that helps communities document experiences that are often absent from policy and governance discussions.

The memories they kept

The photographs recorded both attachment to place and the consequences of restricted access.

One farmer photographed 40 teak trees planted two decades earlier for his children, now left unharvested because they stand within state forest boundaries. Another image showed a pile of stones marking a community-agreed boundary, accompanied by the words, “We have never been consulted. Our land was suddenly claimed as forest area.” Other photographs documented abandoned rice fields and the uncertainty communities face when using land they have cultivated for generations.

The exhibition brought together community members, researchers, practitioners and government representatives to discuss these experiences. It also demonstrated how participatory methods can create space for dialogue that formal consultations often miss.

The photographs will form part of a photo catalogue, while the wider research – one of 11 projects being supported by Explore – will contribute to policy briefs, peer-rewed publications and village regulations co-developed with communities. The findings will also feed into a broader FairFrontiers synthesis examining forest–agriculture frontiers across Asia and Africa.