Couple Loading Dried Fish

Photographer’s remarks

A man and his wife from a very small fishing village on the Sebangau River move dried fish into their boat. Although these fish are not a direct forest product, the peat swamp forest lining the river provides an important ecosystem service for these people by absorbing water during the wet season and slowly releasing it during the dry season, which helps stabilize water levels in the river. People living in this area also generally have multiple income sources which involve both fishing and harvesting resources such as brightly colored birds or commercially valuable tree species from the forest.