The President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) passed the Social Forestry Decree for Agrarian Reform Land Objects and a customary forest decree, which has subsequently been granted to the Deputy Governor of Central Kalimantan, Edy Pratowo, and six villages in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.
Kamaludin, Head of the Kahayan Tengah Production Forest Management Unit (KPHP; Indonesian acronym), encouraged new Social Forestry permit holders to strengthen their forest management institutions by creating structured forest-use zones and developing local business groups.
“The permits will need to be socialised immediately at both the sub-district and individual village levels. Ultimately, we hope that all parties will be eager to support the Social Forestry programme in their respective areas,” he said at the Bamboo Forest Tour in East Kalimantan last month (22/02/23).
The three urban villages that have obtained Social Forestry permits under the Community Forestry scheme are:
- Panjehang Village
- Petuk Barunai Village
- Petuk Katimpun Village
Meanwhile, the three villages that have obtained Social Forestry permits under the Village Forest scheme are:
- Goha Village,
- Pahawan Village,
- Kasali Baru Village
FPIC
Borneo Nature Foundation Indonesia CEO Juliarta ‘Arta’ Bramansa Ottay explained that, in providing Social Forestry assistance both pre-permit and post-permit, KPHP Kahayan Tengah and BNF work according to a system of Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC).
“Through this process, we have developed a strong collaboration between BNF, KPHP Kahayan Tengah and local communities, built on mutual trust and understanding. This includes a clear division of tasks, with formalised cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding as the basis of our collective efforts to propose and manage Social Forestry in the region,” he continued.
Arta added that BNF Indonesia is assisting communities to help them obtain the legal rights to manage their ancestral forests according to whichever Social Forestry scheme best applies, including as Customary Forest.
Social Forestry decrees lend legal protections to culturally and biologically important rainforest habitat, shielding designated forest areas from commercial expansion and other environmentally damaging activities. BNF supports communities in gaining land management rights, partnering with them to bolster forest sustainability and community welfare.
“With more and more forests being managed by local communities, we hope to expand our existing partnerships, safeguarding Central Kalimantan’s incredible wealth of natural resources for future generations,” Arta revealed.
Follow-Up After the Granting of Social Forestry Permits
One of the sub-districts which has symbolically represented the decree of Social Forestry permits is Goha Village, Bahama Tingang District in the Pulang Pisau Regency. The Head of Goha’s Village Forest Management Institute (LPHD; Indonesian acronym), Kardie, said that, thanks to the assistance provided by KPHP Kahayan Tengah and BNF Indonesia, his community was able to submit a Social Forestry proposal, with the subsequent decree issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in under 11 months.
“Having received this Social Forestry permit, we will coordinate with the Village Government to socialise it with the community. Furthermore, we will implement a village forest management programme to benefit local community members, with continued assistance from the KPHP and BNF,” Kardie concluded.
Written by Yohanes Prahara, BNF’s Content Creator and Media Liaison
