Why we support Community Based Forest Management

FORCLIME TC Module Briefing Note No. 6: March 2015

About 25,000 villages are located in and around the forests of Indonesia (Ministry of Forestry 2009) and out of the 48.8 million people living in these villages, 10.2 million are considered “poor” (CIFOR). In the last four decades the predominant pattern of forest exploitation has been through central government granting utilisation rights to private or state-owned enterprises. Adjacent communities have derived little benefit while seeing the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend disappear. The high rate of deforestation and forest degradation and the increasingly strong drive for the recognition of people’s rights to natural resources – together with community-based forest management success stories – has created a new awareness about the need for more intensive engagement of communities in forest management.

Devolving control over their natural resources to communities through Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) is expected to help increase future forest sustainability as well as improve community welfare. In this context the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia delivered landmark ruling (MK35/2012) on 16 May 2013, effectively returning the jurisdiction and ownership of customary forest to communities. In addition the Government of Indonesia has initiated a forest sector and agrarian reform process with the aim to bring at least 30% of Indonesian forests under CBFM schemes (more than 10 million ha in 2015, 40 million ha until 2019). Additional elements

Community Based Forest Management

of this reform process include the restitution of utilization rights of indigenous territories, conflict resolution, the trasfer of full management rights for forests in Java to villages and the acceleration of utilization permits for CBFM schemes.

The Government of Indonesia has made provisions for several CBFM schemes (see box below). Furthermore, economic empowerment of rural communities in and around forest area is one of the priority policies of the new cabinet.

FORCLIMEBriefingNote

TYPE OF CBFM

Locationandareastatus

Utilization

Permitduration

Managementinstitution

VILLAGE FOREST

Stateforest(ProtectionforestorProductionforest)

Utilizationoftimber,non-timberforestyields,environmentalservices

35yearsandextendable

Villageinstitutionssetupthroughvillageregulations

COMMUNITY FOREST

Stateforest(Protectionforest,ProductionforestorConservationforestexceptnaturereservesandthecorezoneofnationalparks)

Utilizationoftimber,non-timberforestyields,environmentalservices

35yearsandextendable

Localcommunitygroups

CUSTOMARY FOREST

Stateforest(notspecifiedyet)

Noclearregulation

Noclearregulation

Customaryinstitutions

PEOPLE’S PLANTATION FOREST

Stateforest(ConversionforestandProductionforestwhichisnotproductiveandnotunderanylicenceisconvertedintoplantationforests)

Utilizationoftimber,non-timberforestyields,environmentalservices

60yearsandextendableonceforaperiodof35years

Cooperativesorindividuals

PEOPLE’S FOREST

Privateland/landownedbythepeople

Utilizationoftimber,non-timberforestyields

Noclearregulation

Individualsorgroups

PARTNERSHIP SCHEMES

Stateforest(conversionforestandproductionforest),plantationforestunderactiveconcessionlicense

Utilizationoftimber,non-timberforestyields

35yearsandextendable

FMUs,forestconcessioncompaniesinjointcooperationwithcommunities

Our ActivitiesIn the Districts of Kapuas Hulu and Malinau, district forest administrations have selected pilot communities to apply for CBFM utilisation rights. In the Districts of Berau initial assessment for potential CBFM implementation has been done and FMUs and forest concession companies support communities in the set of partnership schemes for forest management. FORCLIME supports CBFM processes starting with information dissemination on various CBFM schemes. Communities select the most appropriate option and will be supported in joint negotiation and boundary determination with neighbouring communities. The final boundaries are determined jointly by village representatives from both communities as well as by local government agencies and other stakeholders.

Another important contribution of FORCLIME in making CBFM successful in the target districts is through organizational and human capacity building for selected villagers. The trainings comprise administrative and managerial topics as well as technical aspects such as participatory mapping, training for facilitators and enumerator training on the job. Trainings also include skills on how to assess and register the quantities and qualities of available forest resources and how to prepare a sound sustainable forest management plan. Field visits and learning from existing village and community forests allowed communities to develop new ideas for future development based on lessons learnt.

Support from sub-national government is essential for CBFM development. Therefore, FORCLIME actively facilitated the formulation of the governor regulation for permit granting procedures for village forest management rights in East Kalimantan which is currently reviewed by the Ministry.

In addition communities are supported in forest product utilization and value chain development in order to increase income and improve livelihoods. Non-timber forest products with high production potential include honey, cocoa, rubber, bamboo and others.

Aim and Vision of CBFMThe strategy of CBFM aims to increase empowerment and ownership of local people in sustainable forest management. The current government policy on various CBFM schemes accomodates local wisdom in managing and preserving forest resources, supports livelihood improvement in the framework of the national development goals - pro-poor, pro-job, pro-growth and pro-environment.

The vision of CBFM is that local communities will actively manage their forests in a sustainable way, being able to cover their daily needs while also diversifying the sources of income that are generated by marketing forest resources and processed forest products. CBFM will therefore contribute to sustainable community development and livelihood improvement as well as biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

CBFM in the context of Forest Management Units (FMU)The development of Forest Management Units (FMU) is the precondition for sustainable forest management, good forest governance, climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and livelihood improvement and has become a national priority, with the target to establish 600 FMUs covering the entire state forest of Indonesia. FMUs are legally established permanent, accountable entities and public service providers operating within clearly demarcated forest boundaries. CBFM development will be integrated into FMU development. FMUs have an obligation to empower forest dependent communities and are envisaged to become partners, providing technical advice and services, approving, monitoring and controlling forest management plans and forest operations within various CBFM schemes.

CBFMschemesinthecontextofFMUs

Our Achievements• Concepts of different CBFM models have been introduced to and discussed with ± 200 community

representatives especially in Manua Sadap (± 1.395 ha) and Nanga Lauk village (± 1.430 Ha) of Kapuas Hulu District and Setulang village (± 4.415 Ha) in Malinau District.

• Participatory mapping has been implemented to identify potential area for CBFM in Manua Sadap and Pulau Manak villages in Kapuas Hulu District.

• The process of village forest management plan development has been facilitated in Manua Sadap and Nanga Lauk village (Kapuas Hulu District) and Setulang village (Malinau District).

• Participative forest resource inventories have been completed for Setulang and Menua Sadap village.

• Capacity building for village forest management board including support for the legal drafting of village regulations has been conducted in Manua Sadap and Nanga Lauk village (Kapuas Hulu District) and Setulang village (Malinau District).

• Official acknowledgement of village forest management areas for in Manua Sadap and Nanga Lauk village (Kapuas Hulu District) and Setulang village (Malinau District) by national and local government has been supported.

• A field book on “Guidance and Procedure for Developing Community Based Forest Management Schemes” has been published.

• Lessons learnt on village forest development in Malinau and Kapuas Hulu have been identified and used as feedback for policy makers at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (in collaboration with the Forestry Council of East Kalimantan, WWF, and the Forestry Service of the Province of East Kalimantan).

• Technical trainings on Participatory Conservation Planning have been conducted for Manua Sadap village in order to address the importance of biodiversity within village forest management plan.

• Sustainable harvesting schemes for honey and the development of Trigona honey has been initiated for several villages such as Muara Lesan, Long Beliu, Merasa, Batu Kajang, SidoBangen, Merapun, Long Duhung, Long Lamcin, Long Keluh, Long Pelay, in Berau.

• Communities from Jambi and Java have been supported to share lessons and experiences with communities from Kalimantan on Village Forest Development through workshops and field visits.

• A report on “Options for Community Based Forest Management Schemes in Mitigating Climate Change” has been published.

• Forest land use conflicts based on overlapping claims between communities and public as well as private sector actors have been analyzed in 5 villages in Kapuas Hulu and 5 villages in Berau and conflict mediation and resolution mechanisms have been initiated in cooperation with the GIZ Forest Governance Programme and NGOs.

• Lessons learnt on CBFM in the framework of 5 FMUs (Berau, Kapuas Hulu, Rinjani Barat, Gularaya, Yogjakarta) have been compiled.

• The socio-economic vulnerability for forest dependent communities towards climate change impacts was analyzed in 64 villages in the districts of Kapuas Hulu, Malinau and Berau.

ForestsandClimateChange(FORCLIME)FORCLIME Technical Cooperation (TC), a programmeimplementedbytheIndonesianMinistryofEnvironmentandForestry andGIZ, and funded through theGermanFederalMinistryforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(BMZ)

Forests and Climate Change Programme (FORCLIME)ManggalaWanabaktiBuilding,BlockVII,6thFloorJl.JenderalGatotSubroto,SenayanJakarta10270,IndonesiaTel: +62(0)215720214Fax: +62(0)215720193

http://www.forclime.org

Our Future Support:• Support capacity building for FMU personnel in at least 3 FMUs on community engagement

and relevant soft skills.

• Support finalization of village forest long term management plan and the annual workplan for Menua Sadap and Nanga Lauk village (Kapuas Hulu district) and Setulang village (Malinau district) as well as prepare it for the official approval by the governors.

• Support the forestry administration of North Kalimantan in the sub-national regulation development for granting permits under CBFM schemes.

• Support awareness creation of new regulation for village forest (P.89/Menhut-II/2014).

• Support business incubators on NTFP development in selected villages within pilot FMUs –such as Mangar tea, or wild honey in FMU Berau Barat.

• Support communities in Berau and Kapuas Hulu in forest land conflict mediation processes via specific trainings and by setting up a conflict resolution forum.

• Facilitate village governments in adjusting village forest budgetting into village budgetting mechanism (Anggaran Dana Desa).

• Enhance enterpreneurship skills for FMU personnel and communities.

• Initiate partnership schemes between communities and FMUs at ‘open access areas’ (‘Kawasan tertentu’) in Long Beliu and Long Gie Kelay subdistrict.

• Support PES initiatives through ecotourism development within village forest in Menua Sadap village (Kapuas Hulu district) and Setulang village (Malinau district).

• Support the capacity building of honey associations in Nanga Lauk village forest (Kapuas Hulu district).

• Systematically integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation aspects in at least in one village forest management plan.