Every morning a group of fishermen gather at the mouth of Anjir River near Proboscis Monkey Research Station on Curiak Island, Barito Kuala District, South Kalimantan.
They bring their catch to sell to buyers mostly collectors, who then sell it to the market. Just like a floating market, they transact on boats.
Fishermen mostly fish from night to dawn. Sunrise marks the end of traditional fishing activities in the coastal area of vast Barito River.
Barito River is home to various local freshwater fish, including baung, lundu, baga-baga, lais, pangasius (patin), jelawat, seluang, tilapia, puyau, sili-sili, handungan and senggiringan.
However, the most sought-after by them is giant freshwater prawn (macrobrachium rosenbergii). It has large size, reaching 30 cm in length, and large claws.
The giant river prawn, which is a commercially important species of palaemonid freshwater prawn, is a major attraction for fishermen.
Kaspan Anwari (54), familiarly called Ipan, Marabahan Baru Village resident is one of the fishermen who actively catch fish in Curiak Island area. He said this is a breeding ground for abundant fish and shrimp.
This situation emerged after the Sahabat Bekantan Indonesia (SBI) Foundation initiated bekantan or proboscis monkey conservation efforts on Curiak Island since 2015.
Ipan, who frequently encoutered bekantan in the island, which was then became Bekantan Research Station, later joined SBI as a volunteer and tour guide for tourists visiting Curiak Island, without abandoning his livelihood as a fisherman.
Rapi, other fisherman from Anjir Muara 1 Village, expressed his delight at abundant catch of both giant river prawn and fresh water fish after the reforestation of Curiak Island with rambai mangrove trees.
The giant river prawn catch becomes a primary source of income besides tidal rice farming for local people.
SBI's commitment to protecting and increasing the proboscis monkey population from the threat of extinction outside the Curiak Island conservation area has had a significant impact on the lives of the surrounding communities.
Nine villages in Anjir Muara Sub-district have been positively impacted by the progress of the bekantan conservation on Curiak.
Read also: Some 20 Japanese, Hong Kong tourists visit Curiak Island
SBI founder Dr Amalia Rezeki said ecologically, efforts to conserve wetland ecosystem on Curiak Island have increased rambai mangrove vegetation. While the surrounding communities has benefited from the increased quality and quantity biodiversity
The Curiak Island area had previously experienced degradation of its riparian mangrove forest. Rambai mangrove trees, which provide habitat for fish and spawning ground for giant prawn were damaged and their roots were harvested for bottle cap industry or for making cork for batminton shuttlecocks, leading to loss and death of many trees.
In efforts to conserve bekantan, which is the faunal mascot of South Kalimantan, SBI team also restoring rambai mangrove.
Its ecosystem supports bekantan's habitat. It is the primary food source for these long-nosed and reddish-black hair monkeys.
With its distinctive root system, rambai mangrove also serves as breeding ground for giant prawn.
More than 25,000 rambai tree seedlings have been planted on Curiak Island, and some have even become small islands.
Every day, fishermen flock to catch prawn and fish in the area, making Curiak Island truly favorite spot for local fishermen.
Meanwhile, SBI's conservation efforts have succeeded to increase the population of proboscis monkeys from 14 they found in 2015 now becomes 54.
Not only bekantan, here you can find groups of lungurs, slender-bodied, long-tailed primates.
Read also: A closer look at Bekantan's life in Curiak Island, South Kalimantan
Harmonious life of both primates in the wetland ecosystem reflects the well-preserved quality of the area on Curiak Island.
Besides these two endangered primates, there are numerous reptiles such as snakes and monitor lizards, as well as hundreds of birds species, which during the migration season attract thousand of birds singing and perching around the island.
Curiak goes global
Once an abandoned 2.7 hectares island, Curiak is not far from the Bakut Island Nature Tourism Park (TWA), a proboscis monkey habitat conservation area with mangrove forest ecosystem managed by the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).
Unlike Bakut Island, which entirely owned by the governemnt, Curiak is managed independently by SBI.
With wakaf land program, SBI raised funds, and Curiak Island's land area increased to 11 hectares thanks to the ongoing planting of rambai mangroves.
The success of conserving proboscis monkey on Curiak attracts many tourists.
With a special interest tourism concept, the tourists are invited to interact directly with the natural environment, such as planting rambai seedlings and observing groups of bekantan hanging from trees. It can be done by exploring the river on small motorized boat locally known as kelotok.
Tourist must make appointment with SBI in advance to ensure more focused ecotourism experience while maintaining the spirit of conservation.
Her extensive network, allows Amel, Amalia Rezeki's nickname, a Doctor of Conservation and Biology lecturer at Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM), to quickly promote Curiak Island to researchers from various universities worldwide interested in the life of proboscis monkeys in wetlands.
She built a research camp called Tim Roberts Camp. The name Tim Roberts is dedicated to Tim Roberts, a professor at University of New Castle, Australia. He was one of professors who helped established Proboscis Monkey Research Station and wetland ecosystem along with the then-ULM Rector Professsor Sutarto Hadi.
Since the success of bekantan conservation, Curiak Island has been continuously visited by special interest tourists, especially students and researchers from various countries.
Amel was once appointed by the South Kalimantan Provincial Government as a delegate to promote proboscis monkey ecotourism at an international event in Finland.
No longer after the event, 60 foreign tourists visited Curiak Island to learn about bekantan and the history of SBI volunteer team's strive in conservation.
Every year, dozens of students from various countries come to Curiak Island for summer course or a short educational program held by universities during the summer holidays.
Amel, the 2019 ASEAN Youth Eco Champion in Cambodia and winner of 2022 Kalpataru Environmental Savior award from the Indonesian government, has really made Curiak Island goes global.
Read also: Curiak Island special site within Meratus Geopark area: GGN
UNESCO Global Geoparks
Curiak Island has been part of the Meratus Geopark in South Kalimantan since 2023, which was recognized a UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) on April 16, 2025.
The Secretary General of the Global Geopark Network (GGN), Dr Guy Martini, he himself experienced the natural conditions on Curiak Island during his visit to South Kalimantan from October 24 to November 2, 2022, to assess the Meratus Geopark's readiness to become the UGG.
The cross-sector collaboration in wetland conservation efforts to increase the proboscis monkey population, as well as local community involvement in supporting economic growth without neglecting environmental preservation, impressed Guy Martini.
The natural landscape of Curiak, with its biodiversity potential, and the proboscis monkey or bekantan as its primadona, is not found anywhere else in the world.
The work of the SBI volunteer team and the community has supported government and global authorities' programs in natural resource conservation efforts.
Over the last three years, Amel and the SBI team have continuously strived to foster community involvement in ecotourism management.
She hopes Curiak's presence will improve people's welfare along with its environment preservation.
Sulaiman (60), a community leader in Anjir Serapat Muara 1 village, a pioneer of Tourism Awareness Groups (Pokdarwis) in his village, expressed his gratitude for the development program provided by SBI.
Local community now benefited from their livelihood aas local guides, kelotok rental service for tourists, and culinary business.
Periodically, 15 members of the Anjir Serapat Muara 1 Pokdarwis receive training in tour guiding and developingseluang fish products.
SBI also provided residents with tourist boats (kelotok), increasing their income through ecotourism on Curiak Island. Previously they do only farming and fishing, but now they earn income from ecotourism.
Nature truly provides livelihood for living creatures on earth. Humans, animals and plants living in harmony with each other, fulfilling their respective functions and needs.
UNESCO requires the more sustainable utilization of natural and socio-cultural wealth must prioritize environmental conservation and protection for a sustainable earth heritage.
Editor : Mahdani
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