Aerial view of Krayan taken from a Smart aircraft by the author on June 16, 2025.
By Masri Sareb Putra, M.A.
Krayan in North Kalimantan is pursuing a rare development path in Borneo by building its economy on natural capital, Indigenous Lundayeh wisdom, and strict ecological restraint rather than extraction and deforestation. Positioned in the Heart of Borneo, it offers a model for eco-tourism and border-region growth that invites visitors to learn from nature without exploiting or damaging it.
At a time when much of Borneo is losing its forests to chainsaws, roads, and monoculture plantations, the Krayan Highlands stand apart: remote, restrained, and resolutely cautious. Located in Nunukan Regency, North Kalimantan, Krayan is advancing an unusual development vision: economic independence built not by exploiting nature, but by safeguarding it.
This approach, known locally as development based on natural capital, has become the philosophical backbone of Krayan’s aspiration to become a new autonomous region (Daerah Otonomi Baru, or DOB).
The idea was first articulated by Samuel Tipa Padan, a former subdistrict head of Krayan, and later sharpened through his doctoral dissertation at Brawijaya University in Malang. His argument is deceptively simple: long-term prosperity in frontier regions will only come when natural resources and human capital are treated as assets to be managed, not commodities to be stripped.
In a region increasingly scarred by deforestation, Krayan’s stance reads almost like a rebuttal to Borneo’s dominant development model. Here, the forest is not an obstacle. It is the foundation.
A Landscape Where Culture, Biodiversity, and Tourism Converge
Krayan lies within the globally significant Heart of Borneo, a transboundary conservation area shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Its ecological value is matched by its cultural depth. The Indigenous Lundayeh people have lived here for generations, cultivating organic agriculture and maintaining a close, ritualized relationship with the land.
Among Krayan’s most distinctive products is adan rice, a fragrant heirloom variety so prized that it is known across the border as “the Sultan’s Rice” in Malaysia and Brunei. Another is mountain salt, harvested from 33 natural saline springs hidden deep in the highlands, fetching prices of up to 60 Malaysian ringgit per kilogram. These are not mass commodities; they are products of place, ecology, and patience.
For travelers, Krayan offers something increasingly rare in Southeast Asia: authenticity without spectacle. There are no mega-resorts here, no cruise terminals or artificial attractions. Instead, the appeal lies in trekking through Kayan Mentarang National Park, observing endemic wildlife, visiting salt springs, and staying within Indigenous communities that still regulate land use through customary law.
This is eco-tourism in its strictest sense: low impact, community-led, and deeply educational. The message is clear: Krayan is open to visitors, but not to destruction. Tourism, local leaders insist, must reinforce conservation, not undermine it.
Building a Border Economy Without Losing the Forest
The provincial government of North Kalimantan has aligned itself with this vision. One initiative involves establishing “Indonesia Stores” at the border: state-supported retail outlets that provide subsidized goods, reducing local dependence on Malaysia for daily necessities. It is a small but strategic move in a region where economic gravity has long pulled outward.
Equally significant is the designation of 103,339 hectares as an Essential Ecosystem Area (KEE), covering habitats for Bornean elephants, proboscis monkeys, and countless lesser-known species. Management of this area formally involves the Lundayeh community as custodians, recognizing Indigenous knowledge as a living conservation tool rather than a cultural artifact.
Still, the challenges are formidable. Krayan remains isolated, with limited road access and unreliable electricity and clean water. Provincial officials acknowledge the bottleneck. Priority, they say, is being placed on improving road connectivity and expanding air transport links from Tarakan and Tanjung Selor to ensure the flow of goods without opening the door to uncontrolled extraction.
Human capital development is another pillar of the strategy. Krayan has adopted a 16-year compulsory education framework, alongside efforts to strengthen cooperatives and small enterprises. Village regulations rooted in Lundayeh customary law guide land use, environmental protection, and cultural continuity. The annual Organic Farming Day serves both as a celebration and a reaffirmation of the region’s ecological commitments.
The stakes could hardly be higher. If Krayan succeeds, it may offer Indonesia a rare example of a frontier region that chose restraint over speed, stewardship over speculation. If it fails, it risks becoming another footnote in Borneo’s long story of loss.
For travelers, policymakers, and investors alike, the message from Krayan is unmistakable: come to learn, not to take. Come to witness, not to conquer. In an era of vanishing forests, Krayan is making a quiet but consequential bet, that nature, if left intact, can still be the strongest balance sheet of all.
