"Big companies are not the only primary contributors to economic growth. It is time to bring back economic glory to the communities around forests," Head of the Association for Community and Ecology-Based Law Reform (HuMa), Chalid Muhammad, said here on Wednesday.
Based on research carried out by HuMa, more than 90 percent of forest management is still handled by corporates. This system of management has only seen failure in the form of high rate of deforestation, conflicts, environmental degradation and impoverishment among natives who live near forest areas.
Around 33 thousand of nearly 77 thousand villages in Indonesia are customary villages, with people living in or around the forests.
Local residents are encouraged to help restore forests with the help of funds amounting to Rp5 trillion from the Ministry of Forestry. These funds also serve as incentives to increase their involvement.
"Some of the funds can be used for forest restoration, while the remaining could be used by the locals to develop non-wood products such as coffee, honey and cane," Muhammad said.
HuMa urges the central government to hand over the management of customary forests to the locals immediately, based on the Constitutional Court Number 35/2012 ruling.
Moreover, HuMa will hold a national dialogue on the subject on October 2, in collaboration with the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, local governments and several related institutions. (WDY)
Pewarta: Reporting by Yashinta Difa: I Gusti Bagus Widyantara
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