Forestry governance transformation must be inclusive and sustainable

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has stated that the transformation and improvement of forestry governance must be more inclusive, sustainable, and competitive, whilst also capable of resolving various emerging issues. The governance reform for forest utilisation is being carried out through the refinement of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number 8 of 2021 concerning Forest Management and the Preparation of Forest Management Plans, as well as Forest Utilisation in Protected Forests and Production Forests. “Forest areas must be managed by parties with the capability, commitment, and readiness to invest and provide benefits to the community, the economy, and environmental sustainability. We want to ensure that every permit granted truly results in productive forest management, not just land control,” the Minister said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. According to him, an evaluation of the implementation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number 8 of 2021 shows that various governance issues still need to be addressed immediately. Furthermore, tenure conflicts between PBPH permit holders and communities living around forest areas are still being found, while new permit applications continue to increase, with the queue reaching more than 200 applications. “This condition indicates the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the mechanism for granting, evaluating, and managing PBPH permits so that licences are truly given to business actors who are technically and financially capable and have a strong commitment to managing the area sustainably,” he said. As part of this effort, the Ministry of Forestry will also tighten the stages of the licensing process to prevent it from being exploited as a loophole to control forest areas without investment certainty. “The focus is on improving the quality of governance, simplifying processes, increasing business certainty, strengthening accountability, and ensuring that the benefits of forest utilisation are truly felt by the community,” said Laksmi. She added that the regulatory refinement is also directed at strengthening the concept of Multi-business Forestry, increasing investment certainty, accelerating the resolution of tenure conflicts, strengthening the digitalisation of licensing services, and ensuring that forest management is capable of creating jobs, improving the welfare of communities around forests, and maintaining the sustainability of forest ecological functions.