By Katrina Borromeo, UNEP and Theresa Loeffler, FAO
From Barren to Bountiful: How Social Forestry is Transforming the Landscapes of Indonesia
A community forest land that was once barren and unproductive is now a lush mosaic of greenery dotted with agricultural fields, thanks to Indonesia's social forestry program.
Located around 200 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, Ciwidey is home to Pendi's community forest land - a beautiful and lush mosaic of greenery interspersed with agricultural fields.
It is hard to imagine that back in 2005, the same land was barren and unproductive due to a lack of vegetation. During that time, deforestation in Indonesia was rampant. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that the country had an average annual loss of 580,000 hectares of forest from 2000 to 2010.
This loss not only threatens the livelihoods of communities but also the biodiversity that exists within forests. Around 40 million Indonesians, including local communities, rely on forests for their livelihoods.
"Without the forests, we struggle to make ends meet and maintain our way of life,"
Pendi, 49 | Ciwidey Community Leader
According to Pendi, 49, a community leader in Ciwidey, the loss of forests has had a severe impact on their ability to maintain their traditional way of life.
Pendi, and his community group were determined to reverse the effects of deforestation and reclaim the barren land. They began by planting trees and crops to earn a livelihood, but faced numerous challenges as they did not have legal ownership of the land. Evictions and crop thefts were frequent, causing significant financial losses for the community.
The community received a glimmer of hope when the government began issuing land permits back in 2012. However, the relief was short-lived as the permits only lasted two years. With such a short planning horizon, managing trees and forests posed a challenge, as the slow-growing nature of the trees and crops made long-term sustainability planning difficult.
Indonesia’s Social Forestry Program
Indonesia's social forestry program, adopted in 2016, has ushered local communities in a new era of forest management. The program's objective is to reallocate 12.7 million hectares of state forest, equivalent to the size of Java island, to local communities, enabling them to manage their forests for longer periods up to 35 years.
Pendi and his community group were among the first beneficiaries of the program. In 2018, they were granted tenure rights to about 1160 hectares of land for 35 years.
Pendi briefing the community members.
The social forestry program is designed to acknowledge land access rights, empower communities, and support forest conservation practices. Today, the program has granted land titles for 4.9 million hectares of state forest to 1 million households.
Satellite images reveal the remarkable benefits of granting long-term land management rights to local communities.
In the first two years, the community interplanted coffee with different tree species. “The income from coffee improved our livelihood – it also gave us sufficient funds to further invest in planting diverse crops and in technologies to monitor land use through a cellphone app”, said Pendi.
But significant capacity barriers and limited access to markets became evident especially when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, causing coffee prices to drop and communities losing access to markets.
UN-REDD’s regional initiative, Climate Mitigation through Social Forestry Actions in ASEAN countries launched in 2022, aims to strengthen the evidence base for the climate change mitigation contributions of social forestry. This can facilitate the much needed integration of social forestry in Nationally Determined Contributions and further enhance climate finance opportunities.
Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation within the framework of their contribution to the UN-REDD Programme, the initiative is implemented jointly by FAO and UNEP, in collaboration with the ASEAN secretariat, RECOFTC and other partners. The initiative also includes training on agriculture and forest management, as well as access to finance and markets.
“Access to investments and markets is a critical factor in unlocking the full potential of social forestry in Indonesia. This approach offers a way to promote positive environmental outcomes while creating opportunities for entrepreneurship and livelihood development,”
Alexis Corblin | Senior Technical Advisor on Climate and Forests in UNEP.
This UN-REDD regional initiative on social forestry also includes country-specific activities in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Lao PDR. These activities, agreed upon with national stakeholders, aim to generate evidence on the connections between social forestry and mitigation and adaptation measures.
Activities are also designed to help communities strengthen capacities on a wide range of forest management issues, as well as explore potential broader opportunities for generating incomes and more resilient livelihoods. These small, local efforts can be significant when applied over large areas as part of Indonesia’s social forestry program.
“In Indonesia and elsewhere, UN-REDD is working to get community and social forestry activities better recognized as mitigation and adaptation actions as part of of contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as for their important contribution to decoupling agriculture from deforestation”
Serena Fortuna | FAO Team Leader for UN-REDD.
Unlocking the Potentials of Social Forestry
Pendi’s example showed that social forestry can be a promising approach that can improve the livelihoods of communities while also preserving forests and generating a range of co-benefits. The once degraded lands have been transformed into thriving ecosystems that offer carbon storage, slope stabilization, and better water, air, and soil quality.
However, it is also important to recognize that communities need support to fully realize the benefits of social forestry. Government initiatives and programs like the UN-REDD’s social forestry initiative are critical to unlocking the full potential of social forestry to contribute to climate mitigation efforts, and to building a more equitable future for all.
The community forests in Ciwidey, West Java, provide a habitat for a variety of plants and animals, and livelihood opportunities for local communities.
The LMDH Tambagguruyung is one of community forestry groups working to protect remaining forests, while reaping benefits from crops such as coffee and othe non-timber forest products (NTFP).
Coffee and forests share a symbiotic relationship. Coffee is often cultivated in forested regions. Shade-grown coffee, where coffee plants thrive under the canopy of taller trees, provides a natural habitat for diverse plant and animal species. This method of coffee production is recognized as environmentally friendly. In essence, coffee plants and forests depend on each other, mutually supporting their survival and growth.
Coffee is a high-value crop, meaning that it can generate a good return for the LMDH Tambagguruyung members. This is especially true for Arabica coffee which commands a higher price on the market due to its high quality and strong unique flavors.
Social forestry in Ciwidey is inclusive, which means that everyone regardless of their cultural or socio-economic background, has an equal opportunity to access shared benefits.
Growing coffee as a plantation crop can be a challenging and labor-intensive process, as it requires a significant amount of hard work. Coffee plants need to be carefully tended and nurtured to ensure that they produce high-quality beans, and this can involve tasks such as pruning, fertilizing, and pest control.
Community forests offer a solution to combat illegal logging by virtue of community members regularly tending to their plantations within the forest and actively patrolling the area. This daily presence and monitoring by community members serve as a deterrent against illicit logging activities.
Community forests offer a solution to combat illegal logging by virtue of community members regularly tending to their plantations within the forest and actively patrolling the area. This daily presence and monitoring by community members serve as a deterrent against illicit logging activities.
To enhance their expertise and expand market opportunities, some community members have chosen to pursue specialized training in the entire coffee production process. This training aids them in identifying the unique characteristics of their products while ensuring sustained quality. By delving deeper into the world of specialty coffee, they aim to access broader markets and maintain high standards.
Social forestry in Ciwidey serves not only economic and ecological purposes but also holds significant sociocultural value. It serves as a gathering place for people to connect with one another and with nature. The community forestry is an essential and integral part of the local community, offering economic, environmental, and social benefits to its residents.
