Evaluating the impact of community forestry practices in Sumatra island, Indonesia
Andika Putraditama, Yeon su Kim, Andrew J. Sánchez Meador
World Resources Institute Indonesia, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University
Community-based forest management is often cited as the solution to better manage forests while providing livelihood and conservation benefits. This study investigates the extent to which community forestry practices in Indonesia managed to meet these expectations and the factors affecting their performances. First, we used propensity score matching to compare forest cover changes of watershed protection forests with and without Community Forests (CF) units in Sumatra, Indonesia. Second, we systematically selected two CF units in Lampung province to understand the factors affecting CF performances. We conducted qualitative assessment of farmers’ perspectives on their ability to achieve the dual mandate of CF. We found that the areas managed by CF concessions maintained forest cover more than those not managed by communities. However, biophysical characteristics of CF sites significantly affect the ability of the CF groups to manage their forest and make their living. Although establishing CF helps delineate property rights and reduce social conflicts, the government needs to do more than appropriating land uses. Technical assistances with consideration of distinct biophysical characteristics of the units are necessary for CF units to achieve their goals.
Event: Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2019
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