Forestry Partnership Research Articles

Complexity of Unsolved Forest Tenurial Conflict: A Case of Way Terusan Forest Management Unit, Lampung Province, Indonesia

Effective forest management is challenging to achieve when there is uncertainty about who controls forest areas. Land tenure issues can arise from local communities, immigrants, the private sector, or the government. Overlapping rights in forest areas are very likely to occur due to the licensing system's lack of integration and the inaccuracy with which the problem of forest land use claims. The Forest area of Register 47 is the case where the forest tenurial conflict resolution is theoretical and takes into account the existence of forest communities and conflict resolution programs that have been implemented by the Forest Management Unit (FMU). This study employed case study approach carried out with an in-depth study in the historical study about the conflicts and juridical review in Way Terusan FMU, Lampung Province. The collected data was then validated by triangulating scheme by the observation and documentation. The findings show that in terms of legal, FMU is the legal authority in forest area organizations, especially after regional regulation since 2019. However, the encroachment began in the 1990s when about 900 households were relocated to the area without the Forestry Ministry accord. Various legalization permits were submitted to the central government, but they were not deemed as a viable option. Since the regional regulation of forest area law's introduction in 2019, the FMU has been the primary actor in forest management. In order to resolve all conflicts, the FMU might apply for some effective forestry partnership cooperation programs.

Implications of omnibus law for forestland conflict resolution systems (a case study in Sumbawa)

There are many cases of forestland tenure in Indonesia and one of them occurre in a village on the island of Sumbawa. Currently, the Omnibus Law no.11/2020 and its derivative regulation PP no. 23/2021 came up to create a more robust business enabling environment in the forestry sector with one of the targets is to improve the economic conditions of the communities around the forests. In relation to the forestry conflict in Sumbawa, these regulations bring hope for the parties involved in the conflict in the efforts to resolve prolonged tenure conflicts. The purpose of this case study is to examine how the new forestry regulations can provide options for communities and the Forest Management Unit (FMU) in resolving forestry conflicts, assess how conflicting communities perceive the forms of cooperation of their expectation in the future, and provide options for potential partnerships to be initiated. The research methods used are historical study, survey, participant observation, semi-structured interviews with forest managers and communities, and focus group discussion that was all carried out in 2017. The findings show that according to PP. no. 23/2021 and the history of this area, this piece of land is a potential object of the social forestry program. In addition, through this action research, two farmer groups are successfully formed. This makes the legalization of social forestry one-step forward to be a reality. Moreover, all respondents agree to carry out partnership with the FMU. This study recommends that the ideal form of forestry partnership is community forestry considering the location of the conflict land is in a production forest area. The facilitations could be implemented to support; the community are the legalization of community forestry, support for the development of honey from stingless bees that has been being developed by some farmers, cashew based business development, and assistance in implementing agroforestry with a sustainable alley cropping model of wood-cashew-corn plants. Initiatives from local people and facilitation from FMU are required to succeed the implementation of Omnibus Law in the forestry sector.

Model of conflict resolution at KHDTK Carita through participatory action research

The Minister of Environment and Forestry has designated 52 units of Special Purpose Forest Areas (KHDTK) in 2015, in which the Research Development and Innovation Agency manages 35 units with an area of 37,569 ha. In fact, almost all of the KHDTK areas are inseparable from land conflicts with local communities, including in KHDTK Carita. More than 600 farmers have encroached 80% of the area by developing non-forestry crops. This study aims to provide a policy recommendation for conflict resolution in KHDTK and encourage the acceleration of implementation and achievement of national priority policy targets for social forestry. For this study, a participatory action research (PAR) approach is used to encourage social change at the local level and policies at national level. The results of the study reveal that there are two types of conflict namely management conflict involving three different institutions, and utilization conflict involving residents who live in two different villages. A combination of a local elite approach and a formal (legality) approach are needed in conflict resolution. Recognition and protection of forestry partnerships (Kulin KK) is also one of the solutions offered in conflict resolution.

The capacity building of an agroforestry demonstration plot: participatory market chain approach

Establishing the Cempaka forestry partnership agroforestry demonstration plot in the Batutegi Forest Management Unit, Lampung Province, should increase small-scale farmers’ participation in planting and enhancing their welfare. They need facilitation and supporting programs to evolve continuously, grow business rapidly, and enable forest sustainability. From previous research, the existing training and the extension supporting programs focus on technological improvements in agroforestry demonstration plots, such as modern nurseries training and incentives awarding. There is minimal understanding of small-scale farmers about the broader market chain beyond their direct market. However, improving the market chain will be sustaining the process of innovation and environmental empowerment. The upscale market chain has an impact on poverty alleviation by enhancing institutional capacity and market linkages. Therefore, integrating a market chain perspective is a crucial priority for planning the demonstration plot capacity program. This research intends to design the procedures for linking small-scale farmers to the market chain using a three-sequence phase usually elaborated in the Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA). The data were collected by applying a questionnaire, and then they were described by using a narrative-based qualitative method. The emerging results from this study are the policy implications for improving the performance of the market chain in a standard timeline, namely the assessment phase, the innovation phase, and the action phase. Ideally, policy leaders should pay attention to the assessment phase that identifies interactions among market chain actors. The innovation phase develops on-site learning exercises and tests shared innovation. The action phase promotes in topic meetings and action groups.

Policy Analysis of Sustainable Private Forest Partnership

Private forest partnership has been considered as a new strategy in dealing with conventional socio-economic model problem of the industrial wood raw material sustainability supply. As a new strategy to address the issue of sustainability of industrial wood supply, synergy is needed between forest farmer groups and timber-based industry through private forest partnership schemes. This research aims to analyze private forest partnership policy and its implementation in terms of cooperation aspects in order to formulate a sustainable private forest partnership policy. Content analysis was used to identify all policies related to private forestry partnerships, while policy implementation was analyzed by using formal evaluation method. The descriptive method was implemented to analyze standing stock managemet, and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a method to formulate the concept of sustainable private forest partnership policy. The results showed that private forest partnership policy now is more focused on production facilities and infrastructure aspect. The level of policy implementation in research location is at a low grade, only reached 16.28%, while 43.75% of the private forest partnerships in the research area are not sustainable due to low potential of standing stock. This research proved that fostering the farmers is a key factor to develop sustainable private forest partnership policy.

Community Perception and Participation of the Forestry Partnership Scheme on PT. Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia Working Area in Jambi Province

Granting legal access to PT. REKI in ex. PT. The Asialog concession area in 2010 was marked by resistance accompanied by violence and claims by community groups (claimer). Conflict resolution with the Forestry Partnership approach resulted Forestry Partnership Recognition and Protection (Kulin KK) agreements for 79 heads of households who were members of 4 (four) groups. The question of this research is how the perceptions and participation of Kulin KK holders and the relationship between the two variables. The objectives of the study are to analyse the perceptions and participation and the relationship of its variables. This research is descriptive with a quantitative approach. The sampling technique used the census method with many respondents and 75 holders of legal access to Kulin KK. Perception and participation analysis and categorisation use 3 (three) point Likert scale and the score interval equation. The analysis of the relationship between perception and participation variables uses the Spearman correlation analysis. The results showed that the public perception of the provisions of the Forestry Partnership scheme was in the high category of 96% and 4% in the medium category, while the level of community participation was in the high category of 36%, 24% medium and 40% low. Perception and participation are negatively related.

Impact of Social Forestry Program Forest Partnership Scheme on Forest Sustainability and Forest Farmer Income

One of the Government's efforts to create a prosperous society, sustainable forests, and maintained food security in Indonesia is the issuance of Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 83/2016, Concerning Social Forestry. Social Forestry (Social Forestry) is a system in the management of forest resources in state and private forests by involving communities around the forest as the main actors in forest management. This research is conducting to determine the impact of the Forestry Partnership Scheme Social Forestry Program on forest conservation and forest farmer income. The Social Forestry Program has a good impact on forest sustainability and the income of forest farmers. In 2017-2019 the high level of involvement of LMDH and farmers can support the success of crops with a value of 90-97% or tremendous growth, for overcoming forest and fire security disturbances. In 2019, the involvement of Farmers and LMDH was very high in 6 times a year, supporting the small number of forest security disturbances that only occurred four times with a loss of only Rp. 7,012,000, and can reduce the area of forest fires from 17 Ha to 4 Ha. In the income sector, through the PS program of the forestry partnership scheme, the average net income of farmers in a year is Rp. 324,950,000 or 62.5% of the total gain and Rp. 195.510.00 or 37.5% obtained from other sources of income (livestock, trading, and other jobs).

IMPLEMENTASI KEMITRAAN KEHUTANAN DI KESATUAN PENGELOLAAN HUTAN PRODUKSI WAY TERUSAN

One of the government policies to increase community participation in forest management is Forestry Partnership. The purpose of this study was to determines the process of forestry partnership implementation in KPHP Way Terusan. Data collection used in this research was interviews and then the data is analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the implementation process of forestry partnership was long enough and have a lot of challenges. The supporting factors in forestry partnership were the existence of high support done by the community towards forestry partnership programs, communities high trust to KPHP Way Terusan and high support by other related parties (stakeholders). Inhibit factors in forestry partnership were low capabilities of human resources, the problems within farmer groups organization, maintainless communications between government and farmer groups and low community participation.

A transdisciplinary, mixed methods research agenda for evaluating the collective impact approach for tree planting: The CommuniTree initiative in northwest Indiana, U.S

In this paper, we describe the theory and research design for a new collaborative tree-planting initiative in northwest Indiana in the Midwest United States. The CommuniTree initiative is attempting to alleviate some of the social and ecological issues experienced by post-industrial Rust Belt communities. Northwest Indiana was dominated by heavy industry, particularly steel, throughout much of the 20th century, until the decline of manufacturing and the closing of plants in the 1980s and 1990s, causing well-paying jobs to disappear, population to decline, and leaving residential and commercial vacancies and a decimated tax base. The communities in northwest Indiana are still feeling the social, economic, ecological legacies of this post-industrial history, including environmental degradation, high industrial land use and impervious surfaces, and low tree canopy cover, creating air pollution, stormwater quantity and quality, urban heat island issues, among other problems. With a goal of helping alleviate some of these post-industrial challenges, the CommuniTree initiative was launched in 2017. CommuniTree is a new multi-organizational, collaborative urban forestry partnership that engages in grant- and donor-funded tree planting in several underserved northwest Indiana municipalities. The effort is loosely based on the collective impact model. Collective impact is a means of coordinating multiple organizations around a “shared vision” to solve a specific issue – in CommuniTree’s case, the lack of urban forest governance and resources in northwest Indiana compounding the aforementioned post-industrial social and ecological issues. Supported by over a dozen stakeholder groups, CommuniTree plants and cares for trees and engages communities in urban forestry training. This paper describes CommuniTree programming in more detail, as well as presents an applied, transdisciplinary, mixed methods research agenda. Through research with stakeholders, we seek to understand the mechanisms through which CommuniTree activities translate resources into outcomes in the social-ecological context of northwest Indiana and evaluate the sustainability of CommuniTree.

Ina

As an effort to resolve conflicts in the FMU Gedong Wani area, a forestry partnership was conducted with an agroforestry system. To find out the extent to which the partnership scheme is able to invite community participation, then this study was conducted. This study aims to 1) determine the characteristics of the research area, 2) learn the profile of partnership farmers, 3) identify the form and level of participation of farmers, 4) formulate management recommendations. Data collection was carried out through interviews based on questionnaires and direct observation. Respondents are members of forest farmer groups involved in the partnership scheme. Measurements of participation are done with cross tabulation, while Likert scale method is using to measure participation level. The data is analyzed descriptively which refers to Hurairah (2008) and Arnstein (1969). The study shows that there are three tangible forms of participation in the development of agroforestry, namely participation in the form of ideas, labor contributions, as well as social participation in the form of inter-community support as a sign of kinship in managing partnership land. The level of participation of Agro Forest Park Forest Farmer Group (FFG) is at the 6th level, namely partnership. At this level farmers are able to negotiate and engage in activities with its partner (FMU). With this position, farmers have more space and power to involve in decision-making process.However, farmers do not have space in managerial decision-making and managerial work. This is not in line with the forestry development paradigm that places the community as subjects in forest management.

Prophets and profits in Indonesia's social forestry partnership schemes: Introducing a sequential power analysis

Studies on power dynamics have helped to develop a better understanding of the role of actors and interests influencing community forestry initiatives. This article introduces a sequential power analysis as a framework for expanding research on power dynamics to better understand the various stages that shape benefit sharing outcomes in community forestry. The research is based on the increasingly popular “partnership” scheme in Indonesia, but the framework is introduced as a method for potential application in other community forestry contexts. The framework is based on three parts. It first historicizes the actors in what we term the “power background.” Thereafter we examine the arrival of a partnership scheme described as “power delivery”. Third, we highlight a process of “power adjustment,” which serves to explain the way actors achieve benefit sharing outcomes. Our research draws from a diverse set of partnership schemes from four sites across five different comparative variables. We find that the framing of power delivery allows us to identify the key actors that serve as the messengers of partnership schemes (the prophets) promoting the terms of project implementation. In the latter stages however, power adjustment determines the outcomes, which are contingent upon benefit-sharing arrangements (profits). Not only does our sequential power analysis help to enrich studies of power dynamics in community forestry, we also show that the current implementation of the partnership scheme in Indonesia is unlikely to result in more equitable outcomes, but rather serves to strengthen the position of existing powerful actors.

KEMITRAAN KEHUTANAN SEBAGAI RESOLUSI KONFLIK TENURIAL DI LAHAN KONSESI PT RESTORASI EKOSISTEM

Forestry partnership is a social forestry scheme as an attempt resolution of conflict society and permit holders. The objective of the research to explain the forestry partnership program conducted by PT REKI and the people of Dusun Kunangan Jaya I. This research used a qualitative research approach. The methods of data collection include in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document studies. The results of the research showed a forestry partnership carried out by PT REKI and KTH Berkah Jaya, KTH Bungin Mandiri and indigenous people of Batin Sembilan. The agroforestry pattern is applied to partnership lands. The percentage of forestry partnership outcomes, 85% for the community and 15% for PT REKI. The rights and obligations that have not been achieved have an impact on hampering agroforestry management. The limited funding of PT REKI, which depends on donors as a source of income causing the forestry partnership program has not been maximized. PT REKI in supporting forestry partnership provides various facilities including the provision of forestry plant seeds, cattle, education, and health services community empowerment. The rejection of forestry partnership cooperation carried out by most of the community because of mismatch between the expectation of community and PT REKI. The performance of the government in forest monitoring needs to be improved to support forestry partnerships to cut down land conflicts while improving community welfare.Forestry partnership is a social forestry scheme as an attempt resolution of conflict society and permit holders. The objective of the research to explain the forestry partnership program conducted by PT REKI and the people of Dusun Kunangan Jaya I. This research used a qualitative research approach. The methods of data collection include in-depth interviews, participant observation and document studies. The results of the research showed a forestry partnership carried out by PT REKI and KTH Berkah Jaya, KTH Bungin Mandiri and indigenous people of Batin Sembilan. The agroforestry pattern is applied to partnership lands. The percentage of forestry partnership outcomes, 85% for the community and 15% for PT REKI. The rights and obligations that have not been achieved have an impact on hampering agroforestry management. The limited funding of PT REKI, which depend on donors as a source of income causing the forestry partnership program has not been maximized. PT REKI in supporting forestry partnership provides various facilities including the provision of forestry plant seeds, cattle, education and health services community empowerment. The rejection of forestry partnership cooperation carried out by most of the community because of mismatch between the expectation of community and PT REKI. The performance of the government in forest monitoring needs to be improved to support forestry partnership to cut down land conflicts while improving community welfare.

Sequential power analysis framework in assessing social forestry outcomes

We extend the Actor-Centred Power framework to consider dimensions beyond the life of community natural resource management partnership initiatives by examining social forestry partnership projects in Indonesia. We do this by examining how power constellations realign across the temporal phases that operationalize project partnerships. We propose a sequential power analysis framework that examines power in three parts. The framework first proposes a method for historicizing actors into their power background. Second, we present mode for examining the arrival of a partnership scheme, which we call the power delivery phase. Third, we highlight approaches for examining the way power relations are adjusted, whether reinforced or reconfigured, by introducing an approach for examining programmatic outcomes of social forestry partnership schemes. This article thus provides broadly applicable but targeted guide for the researchers collecting data and seeking to make sense of power relations on community forest partnership schemes in various contexts. This framework is particularly useful for analysing equity and justice dimensions by highlighting who benefits and who loses.•Sequential Power Analysis (SPA) methodology is rooted in interest based and historical power framework.•SPA is consisted of three parts: power background, power delivery, and power adjustment•SPA framing provides a protocol for researchers to collect data

What conflicts possible: A new social forestry partnership policy in a National Park in Indonesia

Partnership conservation is in the early stage implementation in Indonesia, which has a formal mission on reducing tenurial land conflict in conservation areas. Therefore, the pendulum analysis leads us to predict their future conflicts’ form to see how existing tenure conflict is changed and transform. We deeply observe a case in a park in Indonesia that implements these experimental schemes by using three dimensions of conflict, such as substantial, procedural, and psychological. The results show that some informal tenurial arrangement could not be transformed into the formal’s scheme. From this departure, we predict conflict was transformed into the relation with the park’s management on fulfilling the formal goals that is still trapped with the previous land tenure conflict. The land distribution and management of partnership arrangement is also can be a source of possible conflict in the future.

Bridging social forestry and forest management units: Juxtaposing policy imaginaries with implementation practices in a case from Sulawesi

As the priority forestry development programs in Indonesia in recent years, Social Forestry policies (SF) and Forest Management Units (FMU or KPH) still indicate low performance. The SF program in particular, is dependent on the role of the KPH as an institution in realizing its expected goals. Using the theory of bureaucratic politics, this article presents the implementation of the SF program under the KPH system and how both programs can mutually support or inhibit the development of the other. The research was conducted using policy content analysis in the implementation of SF and KPH programs by applying interview methods, questionnaires and field observations that are presented both qualitatively and descriptively. We find that the development of SF cannot be separated from the role of the KPH bureaucracy due to the absence of bureaucratic institutions at the site level. SF sites are located in KPH working areas and perform a central role in all aspects of SF management. However, SF programs are not clearly stated as one of the main tasks and functions of KPHs and the existence of KPH interests in realizing independence without special budget allocations for the development of SF are obstacles to its implementation. KPH also still face regulatory issues that have not fully supported KPH operations resulting in weak institutions and independence to governing hierarchies due to the strong influence of the bureaucracy at the central and provincial levels. On the other hand, the SF program is still perceived as a rival of KPHs in forest management areas and further suffer from rigid regulations that are difficult to apply, making it challenging for SF to support the objectives of KPH programming. Under these conditions, KPH tend to limit SF schemes, thus privileging specific different forestry partnership schemes that are anticipated to support the independence of the KPH.

PENINGKATAN MODAL SOSIAL MASYARAKAT DALAM PENYELESAIAN KONFLIK MELALUI MEDIASI: KASUS KHDTK MENGKENDEK, KABUPATEN TANA TORAJA

Conflict of interest between management of Special Purpose Forest Area (KHDTK) with community surrounding the forest has caused KHDTK functions are not optimal. The approach through law enforcement has not been able to resolve the conflicts, so that mediation approach has been taken. This study aims to determine the impact of mediation approach on the community social capital around KHDTK Mengkendek. Data were collected through participatory action research (PAR) approach. Qualitative descriptive technique was used to analyse the data. The results showed that mediation approach in resolving conflicts in KHDTK Mengkendek had an impact on the community social capital around KHDTK. Level of trust of the surrounding community toward KHDTK Mengkendek manager is getting stronger. In addition, number of norms have been compiled and set forth in the text draft of forestry partnership agreement. A concept of Mengkendek KHDTK management network has started to be designed. The improvement of social capital of the community around KHDTK Mengkendek is expected to mitigate the conflict that occurs so that the function of KHDTK for research and development can be optimized.

Implementasi Kemitraan Kehutanan antara Kelompok Tani dengan Bkph Rinjani Barat Pelangan Tastura (Studi Kasus : Gabungan Kelompok Tani Maju Lestari, Desa Pusuk Lestari, Kecamatan Batulayar, Kabupaten Lombok Barat)

Land grabbing is one of the factors contributing to high rate of deforestation and forest degradation, thus it should involve the local community in its management. One of the government’s policies to improve community participation in forest management is forestry partnership. The purpose of this research is to explore the process of implementation of forestry partnership between farmer group and BKPH Rinjani Barat PelanganTastura as well as its supporting and constraining factors. The data was collected by interview. The data obtained were analyzed descriptively. The results demonstrate that the process of forestry partnership implementationis well performed. The supporting factors of forestry partnership between farmer group and BKPH Rinjani Barat PelanganTastura are high quality seedlings, cultivated area, advanced maintenance and firm support from farmer groups for forestry partnership program, absolute trust fromfarmer groups inforest manager and massive support from other related farmer groups. Meanwhile the constraining factors of forestry partnership between farmer groups and BKPHRinjani Barat PelanganTasturais low quality of human resources, internal problems of farmer group organization, lack of communication between government and farmer groups and low participation of farmer groups.

Local community's preferences for accepting a forestry partnership contract to grow pulpwood in Indonesia: A choice experiment study

Forestry partnership schemes have been deployed to integrate industrial plantations' and local communities' interests in forest resource management. However, the unsatisfactory impacts of the scheme lead to both parties reassessing the value of the partnership schemes. This article explores local communities' willingness to remain in or opt-out of the partnership schemes designed to grow pulpwood in Indonesia, and investigates their preferences for accepting the modified contract attributes. The contract attributes include contract length, labor participation, insurance, training, road improvement and income. A choice experiment approach was used to estimate preferences of 287 smallholders, of which half were participating with the timber industry under Company-Community Partnership schemes. The results show that a bundle of the contract attributes that could increase local communities' utility are provision of road improvement, higher expected income, and higher timber production insurance. Greater incentives are required to compensate smallholders' loss of utility due to longer contract length and monitoring planted areas. The preferences vary significantly depending on smallholders' participation status in the scheme but not land tenure status. The continuity of the partnership schemes is challenged by a significant number of respondents always rejecting the contract option. The implication of the findings is that designing a bundle of contract attributes focusing on a promotive social safeguard approach likely keeps the participating smallholders in the schemes.

West Kalimantan industrial plantation scheme: twenty years on

Successful company-community partnerships are important for Indonesia’s aspirations to contribute to improving rural livelihoods through forestry. This study aimed to assess the livelihood impacts of a company-community forestry partnership that has now been operating for 20 years in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Using the sustainable livelihoods framework, we asked smallholder farmers about their perceptions of changes in employment opportunities, poverty reduction, community well-being, resilience, and environmental quality, since the establishment of the timber plantation scheme. Over 2 phases of face-to-face interviews, about 40% of respondents indicated that they had to live without essentials such as food, housing, or clothing in the 12 months preceding the study, due to lack of money. Being in a partnership with the company did not reduce the likelihood of respondents having to live without basic essentials. All respondents (including those not in partnerships) perceived small but statistically significant improvements to their household income, ability to access food, and overall household vulnerability since the beginning of the company plantation scheme. However, there was a high level of dissatisfaction amongst smallholder farmers who were in the partnership. The partnership arrangements need urgent revision to increase community satisfaction to ensure the partnership remains viable into the future.

Contributions of Company-Community Forestry Partnerships (PHBM) to the Livelihoods of Participants in Java, Indonesia: A Case Study in Madiun, East Java

The State Forest Company of Indonesia launched its Company-Community Forestry Partnerships system on the island of Java in 2001 (PHBM system). We examined the PHBM’s effects on the economic lives of participating villagers through a case study in Madiun, East Java. We specifically examined the potential and limits of the PHBM’s contribution to villagers’ livelihoods by quantitatively evaluating (i) the system’s impact on household livelihoods and (ii) the continuity of its impact. Of households engaging in PHBM, 45.6% had more than half their arable land in the forest, and 10.0% of households had arable land only in the forest. The bulk of non-timber forest products, mostly fuelwood, was collected in the forest. Among villagers earning an income, 12.2% earned more than half via the PHBM, which was the only source of cash income for 2.2% of the engaged villagers. For some households, PHBM has helped significantly improve their livelihoods. However, the benefits derived from the PHBM were tempered by problems of quality, quantity, and continuity. The benefit of the system could be increased by providing preferential opportunities (to access farmland in the forest and/or cash income) to small-scale or impoverished farmers by improving the usage of intercropping land under planted trees, and promoting small business as a group enterprise.