Villagers strive to gain forest reserve status

Jon Afrizal ,  Jambi   |  Fri, 02/13/2009 3:59 PM  |  The Archipelago

The forest is a very important part of the community in Lubuk Beringin village, Bathin III Ulu district in Bungo regency, Jambi. Members of the community have been managing and exploiting the forest in a sensible and sustainable manner by sticking to local customs carried out for generations. This has apparently created to a preserved forest area.

A number of related approaches to support effective forest management have long been agreed upon and implemented, such as rules on the preservation of protected forest, rubber agroforestry areas and efficient use of the natural water source of the village.

The rules are incorporated in the Village Conservation Treaty: one states that members of the community have agreed not to cultivate on steep or sloping plots, riverbanks and the upper reaches of the river, to prevent landslides, floods and soil erosion.

"The pact also explicitly states that protection here is aimed at preventing the water source for irrigation from being damaged," said Rakhmad Hidayat, executive director of the Jambi branch of the Indonesian Committee for Humanity Conservation Information Center (KKI Warsi).

Villagers also agreed to look after the Rantau Bayur preserved forest, which is a part of the Batang Buat River basin's catchment area.

The Batang Buat is an integral part of life in the village, as it supplies water for irrigation, propels water mills to generate power, is a source of clean water and a breeding place for fish.

"The long and tiring efforts made by villagers in preserving their forest eventually paid off and has received acclaim from many parties, evidenced by the Kalpataru environmental award presented to the village," Rakhmad said.

However, he added that the area preserved by the community was at risk of forest conversion by people from outside Lubuk Beringin.

"So it is essential for villagers to apply for a forest management permit based on a sustainable ecosystem as soon as possible," Rakhmad said.

The residents' objective is in line with Forestry Ministry Decree No. 49 on community forests, in which forest management is focused to provide access to the local community through a village council, by exploiting forest resources and improving their well-being in a sustainable manner.

"The community is looking to implement this concept as an effort to preserve the forest around the village," Rakhmad added.

To achieve this, the village chief and head of the village executive board in Lubuk Beringin have proposed the Bungo regent turn the Bukit Panjang preserved forest in Rantau Bayur, spanning 2,356 hectares into a forest reserve managed by the village.

"If the forestry minister issues a decree for the forest reserve, it will be the first in Indonesia," Rakhmad said.

Bungo Regent Zulfikar Achmad has responded to the initiative and vowed to push ahead with the proposal for the Forestry Ministry to designate the area as a reserved operational forest for Lubuk Beringin residents.

The proposal is part of a prerequisite to obtain a forest management permit before being dedicated by the minister. Administrative procedures are currently underway at the Forestry Ministry.

Rahmat said Bungo was one of the regencies that was quite enthusiastic in promoting community-based forest management, demonstrated by the issuance of a regency decree designating the Senamat Ulu community forest and Batu Kerbau village as traditional forest in 2003.

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