The Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) together with the Central Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Service (Kalteng) and the Central Kalimantan Forest Management Unit (KPH), held a socialization event on social forestry licensing in Palangka Raya City, on Tuesday (9/2/2021). In the event which was held in the Central Kalimantan KPH Office Hall, a Decree of Social Forestry Permit Holders was handed over to 18 village heads in Kahayan Tengah District, Pulang Pisau Regency.
Head of the Extension, Community Empowerment and Customary Forests Division of the Central Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Service, Ikhtisan, revealed that this event was an effort to provide legal certainty for activities carried out pre- and post- social forestry permit, according to the schemes, such as village forests, community forests, and customary forests.
“This event is also a place for discussion, learning and sharing of experiences among permit holders,” Ikhtisan continued in his speech.
In addition to Ikhtisan, the Head of the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) – Production Forest Management Unit (KPHP) Kahayan Tengah Kamaludin, Manager of Rungan Landscape BNF YB Anugerah Wicaksono, and 18 village heads throughout Kahayan Tengah District also attended the meeting.
Photo by Yohanes Prahara | BNF
Ikhtisan added that the Minister of Forestry and Environment issued a Decree on the Holder of Social Forestry Permits, as the basis for the community to access area management rights, which are used maximally in utilizing forest products to improve community welfare. This is done in order to continue to encourage community activities in the field.
The implementation of the activities of the permit holder begins with the receipt of a decree, and then a socialization event regarding the activities that can be carried out after receiving the permit.
“The activities of the permit holder cannot be separated from the guidance and direction of technical agencies, such as the Kalimantan BPSKL, the Central Kalimantan Provincial Forestry Service and the UPT KPHP Kahayan Tengah and their partners such as the Borneo Nature Foundation,” he said.
In addition, Kahayan Tengah KPHP Forestry Extension Officer, Nikolaus Dandy explained, there are nine stages that must be carried out after the social forestry permit. The nine stages include: socialization, identification, potential survey, boundary demarcation, zoning, institutional arrangement, establishment, and strengthening of KUPS, and exploring partnerships. There are several villages currently in this process, but the access to socialization is still very limited, so it cannot be finalised.
“The submission can be through government initiative or encouragement. There are five schemes that can be chosen by the community in accordance with the applicable regulations. In the process, there are still many people who do not know about these nine stages, so that’s where our role as companions is,” he continued.
In the same place, BNF Landscape Division Manager YB Anugerah Wicaksono said, in this process, BNF supports KPHP Kahayan Tengah as the area manager at the site level in encouraging the same efforts in access to community management.
“The activity that is being carried out today is actually the submission of a decree (SK), only the community itself has kept the copy so far, therefore BNF supports the socialization and submission of the Social Forestry Decree,” he said.
Anugerah added that the management of the Rungan landscape varies, there are companies holding permits, FMUs as area managers, and there are also communities with social forestry. Therefore, BNF encourages that these forest areas become interconnected, not fragmented, to minimize conflicts between animals and humans.
“These things can be overcome by the existence of an animal corridor, but it must be a form of mutual agreement with all actors in the landscape including the community managing social forestry. Granting this permit is a form of the first step to ensure the community knows where their management area is for social forestry,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Head of Petuk Village, Liti Gintung D Onot, said that the social forestry permit that has been granted by the government to the community in managing village forests is a place to conserve the forest and create income for the welfare of the village community itself.
“With this permit, it is also hoped that the community will be free to do business in the area according to the permit that has been granted by the government in social forestry. In our own village, there are already four Social Forestry Business Groups (KUPS) and they have felt the benefits in the economic sector,” he concluded.
Photo by Yohanes Prahara | BNF
Written by Yohanes Prahara, BNF’s Content Creator and Media Liaison
