An aspect of regime change in Indonesia has been the implementation, since 2001, of a new law to promote local autonomy, which provides the framework for the activities of NGOs acting in favour of biodiversity. These include not only specialist environmental organisations, but also human rights NGOs, which have the task of demarcating the territories of local populations. Most of these organisations are associated with large international NGOs with a national base; they may, in addition, have local representatives, but these do not necessarily belong to indigenous populations. Generally speaking, NGO operatives in the field tend to have tertiary education and to come from other parts of Indonesia. Their knowledge of local situations and of the sociocultural characteristics of each population is often very cursory and may be restricted to the background available in books. Yet Indonesia is a country of great cultural diversity, from one island to another and even within islands, particularly as far as modes of environmental management are concerned. Such modes depend not only on the techniques used but also on the traditional organisation of local society and the conceptions its members have of their relations with the various living beings. Before engaging in action, it is necessary to consider the real needs of local populations and the fit between the tasks that NGOs take on and the training of their operatives.
