Promoting community forestry to reduce deforestation surrounding Gunung Rinjani National Park in Central Lombok, Indonesia

Abstract

Illegal logging and encroachment are the main drivers of deforestation in Lombok Island. However, recent increases in the frequency of floods and landslides has enhanced local awareness of ecosystem restoration. This study confirms that community participation is an important factor for protecting forests, among others through involvement in ecotourism activities at Gunung Rinjani National Park and participation in agroforestry program in the park’s buffer zone. Since 2010, Community Forestry Program in Central Lombok has been integrated with a scheme of reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Although Community Forestry has been successfully implemented in several areas of production forests and protection forests, this scheme is a newly introduced government policy for reforming the management of conservation areas in Indonesia. Through this scheme, local communities have a bundle of rights to manage a parcel of forestland around Gunung Rinjani National Park. In addition to giving access to manage forestland, this scheme also supports the empowerment of local communities to manage forests in more sustainable ways, e.g. through the utilization of non-timber forest products, the cultivation of crops on land under the forest stand, and the rehabilitation of degraded forest lands. This study investigates the trajectories of deforestation, identifies direct and underlying causes of deforestation, and describes the role of Community Forestry to reduce deforestation in Central Lombok.