Social forestry and Indonesia’s forests

If you are lucky enough to visit Indonesia’s amazing natural forests, you will start to understand their scale, vibrancy, and magnificence. The environmental importance of the country’s forests is seen in their being home to diverse range of flora and fauna that is almost unrivalled, including the critically endangered Javan (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) rhinos, Bornean (Pongo pygmaeus) and Sumatran (Pongo abelii) orangutan and the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica). Furthermore, according to data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, an estimated 48.8 million people in Indonesia, many from different customary groups directly rely on the country’s forests for their well-being. 

The government of Indonesia has increasingly recognised the importance of developing social forestry to support the well-being of those that rely on forests, as well as to halt deforestation. Social forestry in Indonesia is where local or customary communities have the legal rights to manage state forest areas or private/customary forests to improve their welfare, strengthen environmental outcomes and socio-cultural dynamics. Currently, there are five social forestry schemes in Indonesia, namely village forest, community forest, community plantation forest, forestry partnership and customary forest. The differences relate to the schemes’ objectives. 

In 2015 the Government of Indonesia set a target to give access of 12.7 million hectares of forest to local and customary communities by 2030 through the social forestry program. To understand the ambition of this target, one can consider that this area is nearly the total land area of Bangladesh. As of September 2024, 8.02 million ha of forest had been handed over to local and customary communities, involving approximately 1.4 million households. It is vital that a program of this scale and importance is developed and implemented effectively, with an appropriate monitoring system in place. 

How Indonesia monitors its social forestry program - goKUPS

The Directorate General of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership, housed within the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, developed an information system, goKUPS, to support the monitoring of the Social Forestry program. Launched in 2020, goKUPS acts as a platform to provide detailed and updated information on social forestry, including location and area of the five social forest schemes, social forestry projects implemented in the country and impact and potential of social forestry enterprise groups. The platform also facilitates the dissemination and promotion of social forestry products and services. 

The formal objectives of goKUPS, based on the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 09 of 2021, are to: 

1. Act as a database for Social Forestry. 
2. Facilitate the monitoring of Social Forestry implementation and progress. 
3. Support informed decision making.
4. Showcase and disseminate Social Forestry programs and activities to the public. 

Collaboration among stakeholders at every level, from grassroots to national, is key to the effectiveness of the goKUPS system. Through the integration of data and information, sourced from government agencies and other social forestry proponents in the landscapes, goKUPS offers a centralized and accessible platform for a diverse audience, from decision makers to practitioners. 

Unlocking potential: goKUPS support decision- and policy-making

GoKUPS can play a vital role in not only achieving the 2030 target of 12.7 million hectares for social forestry in a sustainable manner, but it can also bolster social forestry’s efforts on local, national and global levels, including in climate change mitigation. GoKUPS’ role as a reliable source of information contributes to an increased understanding of the effectiveness of the Social Forestry program in the country, promoting transparency and legitimacy in its implementation. Through provision of comprehensive information, goKUPS facilitates evidence-based policy formulation, thereby supporting more informed decision-making processes.

GoKUPS and UN-REDD ASEAN Social forestry and climate change mitigation Initiative

The UN-REDD Initiative “Climate change mitigation through social forestry actions in ASEAN countries” is working to support governments across Southeast Asia to demonstrate the potential contribution of Social Forestry towards climate change mitigation. Part of this work includes providing support to develop monitoring systems to understand the effectiveness of social forestry, including in protecting forests. This Initiative will run until 2025. It is working in three pilot countries: Cambodia, Indonesia and Lao People's Democratic Republic, as well as at the ASEAN level. 

The Initiative is facilitating sharing of lessons learned in monitoring social forestry in Cambodia, Indonesia and Lao People's Democratic Republic. While Cambodia and Lao PDR may not match the scale of Indonesia’s social forestry program, they share the same ambition and the desired impacts. It is vital that they can learn from one another, including monitoring the impact of social forestry. 

Author: Ade Tamara, National Social Forestry and Climate Change Specialist, FAO Indonesia

This article was originally published by UN-REDD Programme

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