Forest Management in Indonesia: A Brief Overview

Indonesia is one of the countries with the largest tropical rainforests in the world.  However, transforming its forests and peatlands to other uses has resulted in floods, landslides, and environmental damage. Thus, the government must establish effective forest management in Indonesia.

According to the data, the size of forests in Indonesia was approximately 125 million hectares in  2022. Moreover, about 60 million hectares were under the management of the central and local governments. Furthermore, about half of the total forest was under the management of private companies.

An Overview of Forest Management in Indonesia

What is forest management? It is a branch of forestry that looks after various aspects of forests, including legal, administrative, social, and economic. This management also includes management for wildlife, timber, wood products, and other forest resource values. 

Moreover, this branch of forestry may involve various techniques, such as planting, replanting, and timber extraction, to reach specific goals. How does the Indonesian government conduct this practice? Below are the key characteristics of forest management in this country.

1. Regulations

Indonesia has several regulations regarding forest management. Some of them are  Law 41/1999, Law 18/2013, and Government Regulation 23/2021. 

They regulate various aspects of Indonesia’s forest management, including the establishment of forest areas and the division of forest management blocks. These blocks are production, conservation, and protective forests.

2. Community-Based Forest Management

Indonesia adopts a community-based approach in managing its  forests. Thus, local communities are involved in managing forests. The goals of this approach are to improve the welfare of the local communities and conserve the forest.

In managing the forest, local communities collaborate with authorities, including the government, Forest Management Unit, and Perhutani. Community-based forest management is materialized into village forests, indigenous forests, community forests, and community plantation forests.

3. Sustainable Forest Management in Indonesia

Indonesia adopts sustainable forest management. It is a strategy to balance ecological, social, and economic needs for maintaining forest health, combating deforestation, preventing forest fires, and restoring degraded peatlands.

This strategy is done through government regulations, community empowerment, technologies, and various approaches. Thus, communities can get some benefits without exploiting forests. Consequently,  Indonesia can transform its forests into a net carbon sink by 2030.

4. Challenges

Indonesia’s forest management faces several challenges. Below are some of those challenges.

• Deforestation: Economic factors have triggered deforestation in Indonesia. The government and private parties have transformed forests into plantations. Thus, they can produce palm oil, pulp, and other products. 

• Damaged Peatlands and Forest Fires:  Peatlands in Indonesia are badly damaged due to draining. People drain them for agricultural purposes.  Thus, they are flammable in the dry season. This condition will lead to forest fires, haze, and extreme air pollution. 

• Environmental Degradation: Forests in Indonesia also suffer from environmental degradation, including erosion. The causes of this damage are mining activities, land use changes, and illegal logging.

• Illegal Activities: Illegal logging and illegal mining are a hard challenge for the Indonesian government. The authority has difficulty stopping those activities due to corruption, involvement of government officials in illegal activities, and weak governance.

• 
  

The Importance of Forest Management

Forest management is beneficial for the environment, the communities, and the economic aspects of a country. However, a country can only gain the benefits if it effectively manages its forests. How does effective forest management affect a country?

• Climate Change Mitigation: Forest management can maintain the health of the forests. Healthy forests can maximally absorb carbon dioxide. Thus, the country can reduce its carbon emission and have better air quality. This condition will also lead to better well-being of its people.

• Forest Fire Prevention: Forest fires are dangerous for forest ecosystems and human beings. However, effective forest management can control peatland draining, irresponsible logging, and other factors that trigger forest fires.

• Flood and Erosion Prevention: Forests and peatlands are essential in flood and erosion control. They can absorb water, bind the soil, and slow down floodwater flow. Therefore, forests and peatlands must be managed properly.

• Wildlife Conservation: Well-managed forests offer better habitats for various animals and plants. As a result, these creatures will not become extinct.

• Sustainable Resources for Production: Forests offer resources, including timber and pulp, that are extremely useful for humans. However, with sustainable management, communities can get these resources without damaging the forests. 

• Recreation: Well-managed forests also offer recreation activities, such as hiking and wildlife observation. Those activities are excellent for improving people’s well-being and the community's economy.

Forest management in Indonesia needs improvement because they failed to prevent massive floods and landslides. Thus, this country must have effective forest management and an early disaster warning system. Indonesia can have the most advanced warning system if the country adopts broadcast technology from smsbroadcaster.com for its warning system.