TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Since 2016, the social forestry program has been a national priority. It is a unique program. The government wants equality of access to the management of forests, which was handed over to corporations 30 years ago under the New Order regime. This resulted in damaged forests because of non-sustainable forestry management.
It has long been known from a number of studies that customary communities and local people are far better at sustainably managing forest products. With low-level technology and local knowledge, people living at the edges of forests share the space with the jungle ecosystem. Then the idea of social forestry arose: forests would be conserved if they were managed by local people.
Before 2016, social forestry was only a regional government program with a scope limited to community forestry and community timber plantations. This adopted agroforestry practices that had long been used by people in and around forests. President Joko Widodo increased the status to a national program. From 2020, the regulation was no longer merely an environment and forestry ministry regulation, but was also included as special articles in the Job Creation Law.
The government set aside 12.7 million hectares taken from production and protected forests. However, after six years, the program only extended to cover 5 million hectares. From this data, we tried to investigate what obstacles are slowing down the realization of this good idea to manage forests.
In Java, we found that illegal levies are being demanded from farmers. As a result, instead of these farmers becoming independent in the agroforestry business, they find themselves trapped. In Sumatra, the social forestry program is being used as a guise for timber companies to obtain new wood supplies by expanding their concession areas, even into vulnerable peatlands.
We report on social forestry, a term which may be unfamiliar, in our cover story this week. We view the program as an important policy to save Indonesia’s forests while resolving land conflicts and bringing economic benefits for farmers. Enjoy the magazine.
Bagja Hidayat
Executive Editor
COVER STORY
Illegal Social Forestry Levies
How are social forestry facilitators asking for funds to run the program?
A Corporate Hand
Social Forest Farmers with no Advisors
Can farmers develop their businesses without facilitators? There have been a number of independent success stories.
Interview with the Social Forestry Directorate-General
What is the government doing to prevent illegal social forestry levies?
OPINION
How to Prevent the Social Forest Freeloaders?
NGOs supporting the social forestry scheme are demanding illegal levies from farmers. This is obstructing the aims of this noble program.
NATIONAL
AN Alternative Route to Remain in Power
OPINION
No Moore Foolish Ideas
ECONOMY
Non-Electricity Services
PLN makes ICON Plus as a subholding company engaged in businesses other than electricity sales. It releases a bundling package of electricity and Internet services.
Tinkering with PLN’s Business
PLN transforms itself into a holding entity with four subholding companies. The restructuring of PLN’s assets will continue until the end of this year.
OPINION
A New Era for PLN
The State-Owned Enterprises Ministry changes the organizational structure of PLN. A momentum for the state power company to do business in a way that is more flexible, efficient and transparent.
ENVIRONMENT
Reconnecting Climate Change Collaboration
Indonesia and Norway resume cooperation in carbon emission reduction by pushing down deforestation. Both support forest and land use (FOLU) net sink.
INTERLUDE
Fading Traces of Indonesian Gulags
Detention camps and forced labor sites for political prisoners of 1965 can be found in a number of regions. Most of these camps are nearly unknown today.
OPINION
Making Sure It Does Not Happen Again
