Banyuwangi – The Deputy Chief of Staff for Human Development, Abetnego Tarigan, said that President Joko Widodo has paid special attention to the “social forestry” program administered to grant welfare and rights to communities.
He told the forest village community in the Gombengsari sub-district and Kalipuro sub-district, Banyuwangi, East Java, that the government has aimed to reallocate 12.7 million hectares of state forest to be given to the local communities under the so-called social forestry program.
“It’s not only about granting land rights to the people, but it is also about providing opportunities for the people to get the economic benefit from the land. That’s what the President wants,” said Abetnego.
As part of his official visits to Banyuwangi, Monday (20/6), Abetnego praised the joint-effort between state-owned or private companies and local communities to manage forests.
There are 458.40 hectares of land belonging to the state-owned forestry company, Perum Perhutani. The land is currently managed by the North Banyuwangi management units (KPH). in collaboration with a local Forest Village Community Institution (LMDH) Kemuning Asri.
The partnership is well implemented under Government Regulation No. 23/2021 on forestry administration, referring to the Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulation No 9/2021 on social forestry management, as well.
As Abetnego applauded such collaboration, he also hinted that the Executive Office of the President (KSP) has been pushing for the issuance of a Presidential Regulation (Perpres) on Integrated Planning for the Acceleration of Social Forestry Management.
The urgency of the Presidential Decree, he said, was to provide a roadmap in accelerating the social forestry program, so that the reallocation target of 12.7 million hectares of land could be achieved with collaboration and support from civil society.
“So that the empowerment of forest village communities can be further improved and the program can provide an economic boost as expected by the President,” said Abetnego.
Chairman of the Forest Village Community Institute (LMDH) Kemuning Asri Fakhurrozi admitted that the Collaborative Forest Management had made a positive impact on the community itself, especially in Gombengsari village.
He further said, partnering with Perhutani has been providing job opportunities and allowing an increase in production from the use of non-timber forest sources. Both in the agricultural, plantation, and livestock sectors.
“We are now starting to try to produce semi-finished or finished products so that they have more selling value. Such as coffee, corn and cassava,” said Fakhurrozi.
“We will always support Pak Jokowi’s programs as we have witnessed the goodness coming from it,” he added.
Forest ecosystems in Indonesia support nearly 50 million Indonesians, many of whom live under poverty. Thus, the aim of the social forestry scheme is not only to curb deforestation, but also to reduce poverty by giving people access to manage forests and get economic benefits.
Up until January 2022, the program has granted a total of 7,479 land titles for more than 4.9 million hectares of state forest to more than a million households.
