FOREST CONDITION CURRENTLY

1. Forests are still seen as commodities, not as essential ecosystems for human life. This commodity was initially in the form of wood, but now it has expanded to include land and
2. Over the past 26 years, forest management has led to imbalances in land ownership and utilization, resulting in conflicts
3. Forests are no longer driving economic progress, both at the national and local levels. The impoverishment of communities around forests becomes more apparent as forest conditions degrade. Currently, there are 19,410 villages located around forests, with a population of around 48.8 million people whose lives depend on the forest. An analysis conducted by the Directorate of Conservation Areas and the Directorate of Conservation Information and Management using shape files from the Village Administrative Region Mapping by the Geospatial Information Agency in 2021 indicated that there are 7,043 villages located around conservation areas (FOREST & FORESTRY STATUS INDONESIA 2022: Towards FOLU Net Sink 2030). In another document (Analysis of Households around Forest Areas in Indonesia 2014), it is mentioned that the population living around forest areas based on the 2014 Forestry Survey is approximately 32,447,851 people, with the majority living in poverty. The number of villages inside the forest is about 2,037, and around the forest is about 19,247
4. Management by the state with a centralized system where all forestry affairs are pulled to the central level, only placing apparatuses that are not directly connected to forest protection and restoration. Degraded forests are left as they are, without restoration. This triggers deforestation and forest degradation.
5. Ecosystem-wise, the condition of Indonesian forests is also not in an optimal state. This can be seen from the increasing non-forest land within forest areas. The challenge is not only deforestation but also degradation

OFFER 1:

TRANSITIONING FORESTRY REGIME FROM MANAGEMENT-OWNERSHIP REGIME TO MANAGEMENT REGIME

Two important reasons: first, many forest ecosystems outside the “forest area” have biological wealth but their management is unclear. This fact is not seen as a necessity for existing institutions to expand their authority beyond the “forest area”. The existing institutions no longer have the capacity to manage forest ecosystems as mentioned earlier. Therefore, the Forest Management Unit (KPH) becomes the front guard institution. Second, within the “forest area,” there is land that is non-forest and no longer functions as a forest. This type of land needs inventory and future management. Two things can be done: empowering KPH and other institutions to manage it (including restoration) and secondly, current forestry institutions are tasked with restoration.

The consequences of this transition include strengthening KPH and Regional Governments by transferring existing budgets, personnel, and authorities from the current institutions to these two institutions. KPH and Regional Governments are not authorized to release forest areas. But on the other hand, the even greater consequence is how the entire forestry sector will be managed, including for example how forests will be designated for purposes not only managed by the state but also by other legal subjects recognized by law, including individuals and customary law communities. This is based on the concept that management must be carried out based on rights – no longer just the state’s unchecked control. Therefore, there will be no release of “forest areas” except for indigenous communities and community groups within and around forest areas, whose rights are traditionally recognized.

IMPROVEMENT OFFER 2:

INTEGRATING THE PROCESS OF DETERMINING CUSTOMARY FORESTS/LAND RIGHTS INTO THE FOREST AREA DESIGNATION PROCESS

The progress of forest area designations currently needs to be appreciated but still leaves issues as existing conflicts are not resolved and even potentially create more conflicts. This is due to the lack of capacity from existing institutions to resolve conflicts.{{PLACEHOLDER_33}