Papua Prepares Sustainable Forestry Roadmap for Sector Transformation

The Papua Provincial Government has stated its commitment to accelerating the development of the forestry sector through the formulation of a sustainable forestry development roadmap. The document is expected to serve as a guideline for increasing the forestry sector’s contribution to the regional economy while maintaining forest sustainability and improving the welfare of indigenous communities. This commitment was conveyed by the Governor of Papua, Mathius D Fakhiri, when receiving a visit from the Board of the Indonesian Forestry Entrepreneurs Association (APHI) at the State Building in Jayapura on Wednesday (25/6). Mathius emphasised that the Papua Provincial Government is open to various initiatives that can strengthen sustainable forest management and provide greater economic benefits to the community. “We welcome various programmes that can increase the contribution of business actors to regional revenue while improving the welfare of the Papuan people through sustainable forest management that does not damage the environment. Papua wants to run, not just walk, in utilising all its potential through collaboration with all parties and coordination with ministries and relevant institutions,” he said. He explained that the regional government is also continuously strengthening supporting infrastructure to support the development of the forestry industry. This includes increasing the capacity of Jayapura Port and building a port in Sarmi Regency to support the distribution and export of forest products from Papua. According to Mathius, various policy proposals, including the opening of direct export access for sawn timber from Papua and the refinement of processed wood cross-section policies, must be based on comprehensive scientific studies. Therefore, the formulation of a forestry roadmap is considered important as a basis for aligning policies between regional and central governments. Meanwhile, the Chairman of APHI, Soewarso, said that Papua has great potential to develop the forestry sector through a Multi-business Forestry (MUK) approach. This scheme optimises not only the utilisation of timber forest products but also non-timber forest products and environmental services. “Papua has enormous potential to develop forestry business transformation through a Multi-business Forestry approach that optimises not only timber forest products but also non-timber forest products and environmental services,” he said. According to Soewarso, the formulation of a medium to long-term forestry development roadmap is necessary as a direction for the transformation of the forestry sector to be more competitive, sustainable, and capable of reviving the forestry industry from upstream to downstream. The roadmap is also expected to become a foundation for developing forest product processing industries closer to raw material sources, increasing the utilisation of carbon environmental services, and refining various policies to enhance the competitiveness of Papuan forestry products. During the meeting, APHI also proposed several strategic policies, including opening direct export access for sawn timber from Papua, refining processed wood cross-section policies so that wood type utilisation does not rely solely on merbau, and harmonising regulations between central and regional governments to accelerate the implementation of Multi-business Forestry. In addition to meeting the Papua Provincial Government, the APHI Board also held discussions with the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry, and Marine Affairs at Ottow Geissler Papua University. Both parties agreed to follow up on cooperation through the signing of a memorandum of understanding covering the implementation of the Three Pillars of Higher Education, the organisation of public lectures and guest lectures, as well as student internship programmes in forestry at APHI member companies. The discussion also covered opportunities to strengthen forestry education financing through optimising the use of customary land compensation funds as part of efforts to improve the quality of human resources in the forestry sector. The series of activities concluded with technical discussions with the Papua Provincial Forestry and Environment Service regarding the formulation of a forest management roadmap for the next five to ten years. Through this roadmap, the government and stakeholders hope that forest management in Papua can become more productive, competitive, and sustainable. In addition to encouraging the development of the forest product processing industry within the region, this roadmap is also expected to strengthen the utilisation of carbon environmental services, increase economic benefits for indigenous communities and regional governments, and support the resolution of social and tenure conflicts as a foundation for sustainable forestry development in Papua.