Social Forestry (PS) is one of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia’s ongoing priority programmes and is being implemented in order to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality through the improved management and utilization of forest areas. To date, the support offered by the Central Sulawesi Provincial Government for PS policy has resulted in an acceleration of social forestry allocations. As of the end of 2021, approvals for PS management within Central Sulawesi Province had reached 95,448.22 Ha through the issuance of a total of 165 decrees. It is hoped that this achievement will help to realize village independence around forests, as well as improve the economic statuses of local communities and reduce pressures that are causing deforestation and forest degradation, thus contributing to climate-change control.

However, the development of social forestry (PS) within Central Sulawesi Province has not been optimal so far in terms of strengthening local institutional capacity. One of the problems being faced is that the PS programme has not yet become a joint programme and is in essence confined to its role as a forestry programme. As a result, the PS programme has not received much support from local government organizations other than those connected with forestry. Although a social forestry working group has been formed and involves input from other regional government organizations (OPD), support and funding from said OPD have not been optimal and have been characterized by a lack of availability. This has become a pressing and important basis for the formulation of an action plan that will attempt to strengthen PS within Central Sulawesi Province through the seeking of common ground with the relevant parties, particularly the Social Forestry Working Group of Central Sulawesi Province (Pokja PS Sulteng). The overall aim is to realize PS policy objectives and to ultimately have a real impact in terms of improving the economic situations of communities living around forests.

Driven by the Forestry Service of Central Sulawesi Province and supported by FORCLIME, Pokja PS Central Sulawesi has now developed a Social Forestry Action Plan. The objectives that underpinned the preparation of this PS action-plan document break down as follows:
a. The realization of the independence of local PS institutions.
b. Improving the economic situations of communities living around forests through various social forestry efforts.
c. Realizing sustainability in terms of the functions of forest areas.
d. Achieving a targeted increase in optimal PS area within Central Sulawesi Province.

In order to finalize the 2022 - 2024 Social Forestry Action Plan document, a workshop was held from 9 - 11 March 2022 in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi. The event was opened by the Head of Extension for Community Empowerment and Customary Forests, Central Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Service, Mr. Mohammad Rizal Budjang, MM, and was attended by representatives from various provincial government agencies, as well as academics and non-governmental organizations from Central Sulawesi.

The workshop resulted in a draft Central Sulawesi Social Forestry Action Plan, which will be used as a reference framework by the relevant stakeholders in order to realize PS policy objectives within Central Sulawesi Province.

As a follow-up to this workshop, Pokja PS, chaired by the Head of the Central Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Service, has been granted an audience with the Governor of Central Sulawesi in order to secure approval and support for the Social Forestry program within Central Sulawesi.

For more information, please contact:
Ismet Khaeruddin, Senior Advisor for the Biodiversity Focal Point for KFW Forest Program 3 and Provincial Coordinator for Central Sulawesi
Fikty Aprilinayati, Advisor for Sustainable Forest Management and Biosphere Reserve Management