Growing together: Farmers work at their farm in Marena village, Sigi regency, Central Sulawesi. The indigenous people are proving that the customary farming system poses no threat to the government’s forest conservation efforts. (Courtesy of JARING/Debora Blandina Sinambela)Indigenous people have long been scapegoated for deforestation. But Central Sulawesi natives have proven that traditional wisdom and management practices can be used effectively to preserve customary forests, reports The Jakarta Post journalist Safrin La Batu, who took part in an investigative project in collaboration with CNN Indonesia, online media outlet Mongabay.co.id and the Indonesia Network for Investigative Journalism (JARING).