Arif Aliadi16 and Budi Rahardjo17
Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia (LATIN) has been working in the development of community forestry in areas such as the Krui Coast of West Lampung (Lampung Province), Buniwangi village and Sampora in the Sukabumi District (West Java), Cileuya village and the Sukasari Kuningan District (West Java), and some villages around the Meru Betiri National Park Jember District (East Java).
The locations have been assisted by local organizers in periods from two to seven years. By now, the LATIN community forestry area has supplied agricultural and non-timber forest products. Some samples of agricultural products are local rice and various types of banana. Non-timber forest products include resin/damar mata kucing or "resin eye of cat" and numerous types of medicinal plants. In the long term, these areas may produce other forest products such as teak wood, mahogany, pine resin, and provide services for ecotourism. However, the communities face challenges and constraints in developing these products. Results so far have ranged from failure to varying degrees of success.
These are the constraints in the development of community forestry products:
· To guarantee tenurial rights or management
· To guarantee the earning of benefits in long-term periods
· To provide market guarantees
· To build a strong local institution in the community
· To allow greater authority and space to different stakeholders in forest management and development of partnerships between the community and industrialists or with other parties
16 Executive Director of LATIN.
17 Director of the Community, Governance and the Institution Programme.