Integrating ecological, social and policy aspects to develop peatland restoration strategies in Orang Kayo Hitam Forest Park, Jambi, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Wulandari C, Novriyanti N, Iswandaru D. 2021. Integrating ecological, social and policy aspects to develop peatland restoration strategies in Orang Kayo Hitam Forest Park, Jambi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4158-4168. Peatlands play an essential role in delivering various ecosystem services, yet in many areas in Indonesia, peat forests have been deforested, degraded, and threatened by repeated fires. As such, restoration efforts need to be done. But these require various considerations, including ecological aspects such as type degradation conditions, water table, species selected for planting, and climates, socio-economic aspects like community's involvement, and policy aspects such as regulations and institutions at national and local levels. This study aimed to analyze peatland restoration strategies in Orang Kayo Hitam (OKH) Forest Park, Jambi using the Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats, and Opportunities (SWOT) framework. The analysis was done by integrating multiple aspects such as policy, biodiversity conservation, and surrounding community participation. Data were collected using virtual ethnographic techniques due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Key informants (i.e., OKH Forest Park Unit area managers, NGOs, staff of national government, and university academics) and selected respondents were interviewed to identify and determine factors considered as internal (i.e., Strengths and Weaknesses) and external (i.e., Threats and Opportunities). This qualitative data was then analyzed using a SWOT approach through the IFE (Internal Factor Evaluation) and EFE (External Factor Evaluation) Matrix. The research findings showed that from 12 internal factors and 11 external factors, efforts to restore peatland ecosystems in Orang Kayo Hitam (OKH) Forest Park had obtained very strong values in the biodiversity aspect. The SWOT matrix analysis showed values of S-W = 0.43 and O-T = 0.16 positioned in quadrant I. This result suggests that the most powerful strategies can be developed aggressively from the factors of strengths and opportunities.