Bark and leaf house, Harapan Rainforest, Sumatra, 2011Harapan’s indigenous community is the Bathin Sembilan. They rely heavily on the forest to support their lives. It gives them materials needed to live day-to-day. They collect bengkuang leaves to weave sleeping mats, and rattan to fashion baskets. They collect damar tree resin and jelutung latex Dyera costulata. They sell those for cash that they can use to buy their other needs. This picture shows how bark is used for house walls, and leaves for roofs. Without these free materials, they would have to buy bricks and tiles. Sustainable forest use in this way works well with Harapan’s conservation and restoration vision.