Forestry governance transformation must be inclusive and sustainable
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, believes that the transformation and refinement of forestry governance must be more inclusive, sustainable, and competitive, while being capable of addressing various emerging issues.
The improvement of forest utilisation governance is being carried out through the refinement of the Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK) 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 who possess the capability, commitment, and readiness to invest, as well as the ability to provide benefits for the community, the economy, and environmental sustainability. We want to ensure that every permit granted truly results in productive forest management, rather than merely occupying land,” the Minister stated in a briefing in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to him, an evaluation of the implementation of Minister of LHK Regulation Number 8 of 2021 shows that various governance issues still exist and need immediate rectification.
Furthermore, tenurial conflicts between Business Forest Area Utilisation (PBPH) holders and communities surrounding forest areas are still being found, while new permit applications continue to increase, with the queue now exceeding 200 applications.
“This condition demonstrates the need for a thorough overhaul of the mechanisms for granting, evaluating, and managing PBPH, so that permits are truly granted to business actors who are technically and financially capable and possess a strong commitment to managing areas sustainably,” he said.
As part of these efforts, the Ministry of Forestry will also tighten the licensing process stages to ensure they are not exploited as loopholes to occupy 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 refinement of regulations is also directed towards strengthening the concept of Multi-use Forestry, increasing investment certainty, accelerating the resolution of tenurial 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 ecological functions of the forest.