~ zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA The Political Ecology of Extraction and Extractive Reserves in East Kalimantan, Indonesia Nancy Lee Peluso ABSTRACT zyxw Extractive reserves established in the Amazon have given development profes- sionals hope for solving two critical problems in conservation and develop- ment: the empowerment of indigenous people and the conservation of tropical forests. The extraction of non-timber forest products has provided an impor- tant part of the livelihood strategies of rainforest dwelling people and of the regional economy of East Kalimantan for some two millennia. The specific political-economic and environmental circumstances of Indonesia and interior Kalimantan, however, preclude applying the Amazonian model for extractive reserves. Using a political ecology framework, this article analyses sociological and environmental factors emerging over the past two and a half decades and influencing contemporary rattan production and trade. Based zy on this analysis, the author concludes that the politics of forest management, at both the national and local levels, are more conducive to village level extrac- tive reserves than to regional, labour-based organizations. INTRODUCTION The extraction of non-timber products from tropical forests has been the subject of a great deal of attention in academic, conserva- tion and development circles of late (Hecht et al., zy 1988; Hecht and Cockburn, 1989; de Beer and McDermott, 1989; Clay, 1988). The notion of extractive reserves, in which an area of existing rainforest is set aside for low-impact use by certain residents of that rainforest or its environs has seemed particularly attractive (Schwartzman, 1989). Extractors (or ‘extractavists’ as they have been called by some in what seems to be no more than a grammatically incorrect z Development und Chonge (SAGE, London, Newbury Park and New Delhi), Vol. 23 (1992) NO. 4, 49-74.