The sustainability of natural forests, including their various ecosystem processes and benefits, is a shared responsibility. The government, the private sector, and all levels of society are all stakeholders in the forest ecosystem. Social Forestry is a program that provides space for stakeholders to achieve benefits as effectively and efficiently as possible, thereby supporting the sustainability of forest resources.
We often hear the phrase "seeing the forest for the trees." Forests are more than just trees. Beyond facilitating tenure improvements and vegetation planting, the Social Forestry program also provides opportunities to utilize biodiversity (Kehati) and local wisdom for ecological sustainability. With the rationale that Social Forestry, which is now starting to become a movement, can be strengthened by mainstreaming biodiversity and local wisdom, this paper highlights how the implementation of Social Forestry in the field can be enriched with Kehati and local wisdom approaches.
First, the Social Forestry policy will be explained. Next, the concept of Kehati (Natural Forestry) is explained in relation to Local Wisdom. Finally, the prospects for synergy between Social Forestry, Kehati, and Local Wisdom are outlined.
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Social Forestry
The Social Forestry and Agrarian Reform Policy has been officially implemented for the past 5 years, following the issuance of Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 83 of 2016 concerning Social Forestry, and Presidential Regulation No. 86/2018 concerning Agrarian Reform. The Agrarian Reform and Social Forestry Policy and Program (RAPS) is designed to achieve equitable access to land and land resources, all of which are intended to support community livelihoods and the sustainability of forest resources. In practice, the Agrarian Reform and Social Forestry will provide space and opportunities for communities to participate and innovate in sustainable natural and human resource-based development.
Social Forestry is divided into 5 schemes:
1) Community Forestry
Community Forestry is a state forest whose primary use is to empower communities. Community groups are given official permission to manage state forests, specifically to cultivate crops within forest areas. The associated responsibility is for the community to play an active role in supporting sustainable forest management and protecting environmental services.
2) Village Forest
Village Forests are state forests managed by villages and utilized for village welfare. In this case, villages are granted official permission to manage the forest area surrounding the village. Village communities are permitted to harvest forest products, with primary attention given to agroforestry, sustainable forest management, and the implementation of customary management practices. Village Forests are legally based on Government Regulations No. 6 of 2007 and No. 3 of 2008.
3) Community Plantation Forests
Community Plantation Forests are established and managed by community groups. To help increase sustainable timber supplies, community groups, either independently or with assistance, are granted official permits to develop timber plantations in Forest Areas. These timber plantations can be interspersed with other timber species, up to a maximum of 30 percent of the licensed area. For the first two to three years, they are permitted to develop intercropping with suitable annual crops.
4) Customary Forests
In accordance with applicable laws and regulations, customary law communities are given the right to control and manage forests in accordance with local cultural customs. Law No. 41/1999 concerning Forestry recognizes the existence of customary forests and defines customary forests as forests located within the territory of customary law communities. Furthermore, Constitutional Court Decision No. 35 of 2012 ruled that customary forests are community-owned forests (rights forests), and not state forests. Based on Law No. 41/1999, the determination of customary forests must be preceded by a regional regulation or a decision of the regional head (provincial or district level), which is then legalized by a Ministerial Decree (LHK). The process of recognizing customary forests is detailed in Ministerial Regulation No. 21 of 2019 concerning Customary Forests and Rights Forests, which regulates the procedures for customary law communities to submit applications for recognition of their communal forests as customary forests.
5) Forestry Partnership
Forestry Partnerships are collaborations between local communities and forest managers, holders of forest utilization/forest service permits, forest area borrow-and-use permits, or holders of primary forest product industry permits. Through the Forestry Partnership program, concession-holding companies (both state-owned and private) are required to grant access rights to local communities. Under this Partnership scheme, local communities are granted the right to harvest non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Companies retain the right to timber forest products within the concession areas granted by the government to companies for logging natural forests and developing plantation forests.
To learn more about Strengthening Social Forestry with Care and a Return to Traditional Wisdom, please download the materials below. We hope you find them helpful.
Writing Team: Mochamad Indrawan , Rina Yowei and Mariana Peday
