Ministry of Forestry Strengthens Social Forestry Governance Across ASEAN Through Regional Collaboration
No single country holds all the answers. That is why this forum is important — to learn from one another, share experiences, and find solutions that can be applied.
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry is supporting the strengthening of social forestry governance across ASEAN countries to reinforce land tenure certainty and increase community participation.
In a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday, Director of Social Forestry Control at the Ministry of Forestry Marcus Octavianus Susatyo said that social forestry cooperation at the ASEAN level continues to develop through various regional forums, shared guidelines, and inter-country knowledge exchange, one of which is the Regional Knowledge Sharing of ASEAN Guiding Principles for Effective Social Forestry Legal Frameworks.
“This collaboration is an important foundation for aligning national policies with regional aspirations, strengthening land tenure certainty, and increasing community participation in forest management,” said Marcus.
He explained that the workshop, attended by 11 ASEAN countries as well as Indonesian forestry stakeholders, saw participants exchange experiences on policy developments, best practices, innovations, and challenges in applying the principles of social forestry governance in their respective countries.
Furthermore, in 2025 a national training programme for Indonesian forestry agencies will be carried out to strengthen institutional capacity and identify various procedural challenges in implementing social forestry.
The meeting, held in Jakarta on 4–5 August 2026, also discussed the progress, achievements, and challenges of social forestry implementation. The discussions covered regulatory updates, replicable implementation models, stronger coordination between central and regional governments, simplified procedures, group mentoring, and market access development for social forestry enterprises.
Azam Hawari, representative of ClientEarth for Japan and Southeast Asia, said that the practical and procedural challenges faced by officers and communities on the ground constitute important experiences to be shared between countries.
Through the event, ASEAN member states are expected to strengthen regional cooperation while translating social forestry commitments and policies into more concrete implementation steps.
The strengthening of social forestry governance is expected to provide certainty of management access for communities, improve welfare, and support sustainable forest management.