Cipeuteuy Forest Farmer’s Story about the Importance of the Damar Forest and Life Around It

Tuesday, October 10 2023

Sukagalih Village forest farmers go to their cultivated land. (Photo: LATIN/Taufik Saifulloh)

BOGOR, LATIN.OR.ID – As a result of land clearing in the past, the Cipeuteuy Village Community almost lost its resin forest. Now there are 15 hectares of resin forest left that they have managed to maintain. Even though currently the productivity of the sap produced by resin trees has decreased, resin forests still provide great benefits for their lives, as a producer of oxygen, water absorption, preventing landslides, ecotourism, animal feed, and a place to live for protected animals such as gibbons and Javan eagles. People are very aware of the importance of forests for their lives.

The LATIN Research Team had the opportunity to conduct research in Cipeuteuy Village, Sukabumi Regency for approximately ten days, namely 12-22 September 2023. This research was collaborative research with Absolute Indonesia which was carried out in two hamlets at once, namely Pandan Arum Hamlet and Cisarua Hamlet, which are located on the border. directly to the Mount Halimun Salak National Park (TNGHS) area. The scheme used in area management is a conservation partnership scheme which makes this research location have a different scheme from previous LATIN research locations.

Since the 1940s, the Cipeuteuy Village Community has used the forest as a source of their livelihood, until the land is managed under Perum Perhutani and has limited production forest status. In 2003, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) issued Decree of the Minister of Forestry No. 175/Kpts-II/2003 which decided to expand the land of the Mount Halimun Salak National Park and change the status of the land to protected forest. The community can still work on the land and utilize forest products according to the agreement that has been made through the conservation partnership scheme.

Since 2008, Absolute Indonesia has provided assistance to three KTHs in Cipeuteuy Village, namely KTH Kopel, KTH Sukamanah, and KTH Jaya Berkah. KTH Kopel is in Pandan Arum Hamlet, while KTH Jaya Berkah and KTH Sukamanah are in Cisarua Hamlet. The three KTHs have officially obtained permission to manage forests in the TNGHS area through a cooperation agreement (PKS). In its use, the community cultivates land to plant rice on a subsistence basis and several types of vegetables such as cayenne peppers, red chilies, beans, tomatoes and long beans which are sold raw to middlemen. Limited access to capital and marketing means that the people of Cipeuteuy Village still rely on the role of middlemen in selling harvests using a borrow and sell system.

Apart from farming, people use forest areas for ecotourism. In Sukagalih Village, there is a resin forest which is managed by the community for camping ground tourism and educational tourism. Due to the long dry season in the last few months, water sources in Sukagalih Village have decreased significantly, but can still meet daily needs because the forest is maintained. The people of Cipeuteuy Village understand that if the forest is destroyed, the availability of their source of life will one day be disrupted.

Penulis: Naily Fitrotun
Editor: Sastiviani Cantika