Strangler Figs and Their Spirits: How Indigenous Beliefs and Practices Influence an Iban Landscape, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

ABSTRACT Local perceptions, concerns, and motivations influence conservation contexts and outcomes. In this study, we explore the beliefs around strangler figs within an Iban community in Indonesian Borneo and clarify how these influence land use and the status and distribution of these keystone tree species. The study was conducted with an Iban community in West Kalimantan in the Sungai Utik Indigenous Forest. We interviewed 32 adults (one per household) regarding their perceptions and behaviors towards strangler figs and applied 16 km of transects (width 100 m) to survey strangler figs in both old growth forest and in farmland–fallow mosaics. Most respondents (30 of 32 or 94%) considered large strangler figs to host various supernatural entities that may be dangerous if disturbed. The community protects these trees from damage wherever they occur. One fig species, Ficus benjamina , is used in healing rituals. We recorded 19 species of strangler figs inside the transects and 25 in total (individuals with woody stems/roots reaching the ground). Similar densities of strangler figs were found in farmland mosaics compared to forest (1.21 vs. 0.90 individuals/ha) with many reaching large sizes (mean canopy diameter 16.46 ± 8.54 vs. 10.25 ± 3.17 m). The figs that occur in the farmland mosaic originate in regrowth areas and result in 1% to 2% of the total farmland being protected from clearing. Our study demonstrates the value of integrating cultural and ecological data. Recognizing the significance of strangler figs in this community can inform conservation that sustains both biodiversity and culture.