Coordination Forum for the Acceleration of Social Forestry Programs through the Customary Forest Scheme

Wednesday (6/6) LATIN attended the invitation to the coordination meeting “Management of Social Forestry for the Customary Forest Scheme”. The activity initiated by the Directorate General for Regional Development, Ministry of Home Affairs (Bangda-Kemendagri RI) was held in Jakarta and was attended by LATIN, HuMa, the Customary Territory Registration Agency (BRWA).

This coordination meeting was held to encourage collaboration between parties as an effort to recognize indigenous peoples’ rights in forest management. So far several Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have moved to document and register customary territories. LATIN itself took a role in the preparation of the Social Forestry Implementation Collaboration Guidance Document with Bangda-RI.

“Customary law communities are supported by several ministries, namely the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. From 2016 to 2022, the achievements of 108 customary forests covering an area of 153,322 Ha consist of establishing 152,563 Ha of Indigenous Forests and providing benefits to 51,312 households, and 354 Ha of Indigenous Forest in Toba Regency (88 households) said Yuli Prasetyo, Section Head Customary Forest Reserve and Protection of Local Wisdom, KLHK-RI.

One important problem is the difference in data between the central and regional governments. Then CSOs also register in various customary areas where the data needs to be synchronized. Currently there are 50 Priority Locations for determining Indigenous Forests spread across the Provinces of Aceh, Bali and Bengkulu, West Kalimantan, West Papua, Riau and West Sumatra. The total target area until 2030 is 245,917 ha.

Some of the discussion points recorded in this forum are:

1. Out of 50 Priorities for determining Indigenous Forest locations, it is targeted that 8 determinations (Regent Decrees or Regional Regulations) will be issued in 2023.

2. As of March 17 2023, BRWA has registered an area of 13,785,949 hectares (905 maps) which can be used as a reference in determining Indigenous Peoples.

3. There are two regulatory regulatory regimes, namely: 1) Customary land in the ATR/BPN scheme does not require a Regional Regulation for its stipulation and 2) Customary land with a Social Forestry scheme requires a Regional Regulation for its stipulation.

4. There is a need to improve regulations so that the determination of Social Forestry in the Customary Forest scheme is easier with the issuance of a Decree from the Regent. (Refining Law 41 of 1999 concerning Forestry)

5. Some of the proposed priority locations are: Buleleng, Bali; North Luwu, South Sulawesi; North Tapanuli, North Sumatra; Mall, Tanah Datar; Siriken, North Luwu; Sintang, West Kalimantan; Poso, Central Sulawesi; Sinjau, South Sulawesi.

6. From the various determination processes, it is necessary to have knowledge management so that the important factors that encourage or inhibit it can be mapped, so that it can become a lesson in the next determination process.

Author: Novan Aji Imron

Editor: Febri Sastiviani Putri Cantika