Deputy Forestry Minister: Flood-Affected Social Forestry Land in Sumatra to Be Restored
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki has affirmed that social forestry land affected by flooding in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra will be promptly restored through government support and multi-stakeholder collaboration.
He stated that both social forestry land and affected communities would receive immediate attention, as these areas serve as the primary source of livelihood for local residents.
"The social forestry land and communities affected in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra must certainly undergo restoration," the Deputy Minister said whilst closing the Lesson Learned Workshop entitled "Moving from the Ground: Sowing Inclusive Social Forestry for Sustainable Forests and Prosperous Communities" in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to him, the Ministry of Forestry will pursue restoration measures including alternative funding schemes that can be mobilised collectively to accelerate land rehabilitation and economic recovery for affected communities.
"God willing, the Ministry of Forestry will also provide support and assistance going forward, and hopefully there will be efforts including alternative funding that we can jointly promote for the restoration of social forestry land," he said.
However, Rohmat did not specify the total area of social forestry land affected by flooding across the three provinces.
On the occasion, he also called on all parties to continue praying for the residents of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra to achieve full recovery and be spared from similar flash flood disasters.
"We cannot close this event without remembering our fellow citizens in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra who have been affected by flooding. Let us continue to pray that they may recover and that flash floods will not occur again in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra," he said.
Rohmat emphasised that social forestry constitutes a national strategy for building climate resilience, reducing disaster risk, and paving the way towards more equitable welfare through concrete action on the ground and sustained collaboration.
"From all the sessions we have gone through today, one common thread has become very clear — that social forestry is a national strategy for building resilience against climate crises, reducing disaster risk, and simultaneously opening the path towards more equitable welfare," he stressed.
Earlier, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni stated that social forestry serves as a lever for the welfare of impoverished communities living near forests, whilst simultaneously promoting forest conservation and sustainable local economic growth.
"I believe I am increasingly optimistic that social forestry will become one of our methods for leveraging community welfare," the Minister said whilst opening the event.
The Forestry Minister explained that social forestry is a strategic method for improving the welfare of poor and extremely poor communities living on the fringes of forests, providing them with legal access to and benefits from forest resources.
The Ministry of Forestry recorded that over the past nine years, it has granted social forestry utilisation approvals to forest farmer groups and social forestry business groups covering 8.3 million hectares, encompassing 1.4 million households across Indonesia.
He stated that both social forestry land and affected communities would receive immediate attention, as these areas serve as the primary source of livelihood for local residents.
"The social forestry land and communities affected in Aceh, West Sumatra, and North Sumatra must certainly undergo restoration," the Deputy Minister said whilst closing the Lesson Learned Workshop entitled "Moving from the Ground: Sowing Inclusive Social Forestry for Sustainable Forests and Prosperous Communities" in Jakarta on Thursday.
According to him, the Ministry of Forestry will pursue restoration measures including alternative funding schemes that can be mobilised collectively to accelerate land rehabilitation and economic recovery for affected communities.
"God willing, the Ministry of Forestry will also provide support and assistance going forward, and hopefully there will be efforts including alternative funding that we can jointly promote for the restoration of social forestry land," he said.
However, Rohmat did not specify the total area of social forestry land affected by flooding across the three provinces.
On the occasion, he also called on all parties to continue praying for the residents of Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra to achieve full recovery and be spared from similar flash flood disasters.
"We cannot close this event without remembering our fellow citizens in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra who have been affected by flooding. Let us continue to pray that they may recover and that flash floods will not occur again in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra," he said.
Rohmat emphasised that social forestry constitutes a national strategy for building climate resilience, reducing disaster risk, and paving the way towards more equitable welfare through concrete action on the ground and sustained collaboration.
"From all the sessions we have gone through today, one common thread has become very clear — that social forestry is a national strategy for building resilience against climate crises, reducing disaster risk, and simultaneously opening the path towards more equitable welfare," he stressed.
Earlier, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni stated that social forestry serves as a lever for the welfare of impoverished communities living near forests, whilst simultaneously promoting forest conservation and sustainable local economic growth.
"I believe I am increasingly optimistic that social forestry will become one of our methods for leveraging community welfare," the Minister said whilst opening the event.
The Forestry Minister explained that social forestry is a strategic method for improving the welfare of poor and extremely poor communities living on the fringes of forests, providing them with legal access to and benefits from forest resources.
The Ministry of Forestry recorded that over the past nine years, it has granted social forestry utilisation approvals to forest farmer groups and social forestry business groups covering 8.3 million hectares, encompassing 1.4 million households across Indonesia.