Community partner viewpoints on forest partnership: why does it matter?

ABSTRACT

Many studies that have focused on forestry partnerships have failed to examine their substantial impact on social and ecological outcomes from the perspective of community partners in Indonesia. Using Integrative Framework for Collaborative Governance Regimes (IFCGs) and qualitative methods, this study, therefore, explores community partners’ views on the quality of their collaboration in the country. The findings indicate that the viewpoints of community partners play a vital role in forestry partnership scheme, influencing substantially the quality of their collaboration. In addition, it has been observed that the viral phenomenon on social media in Indonesia has become a critical catalyst for changes in political dynamics and power relations among collaborating groups that are not well defined in the IFCG framework. The results also suggest highlighting the vital role of collaborative actions, which is even more crucial than acquiring a legal licence.

KEYWORDS:

• Forestry partnership
• community partners
• collaborative governance regimes
• Indonesia

Acknowledgments

This research was sponsored by the Social Science and Humanities Research Organization of National Research and Innovation Agency (IPSH BRIN) in 2022. The authors are grateful to all stakeholders involved in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Research ethics

Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency’s Ethics Commission for Social Humanities granted research ethics clearance for this project. This clearance was based on a document titled Ethics Clearance Decision Letter with the reference number 041/KE.01/SK/4/2022.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. Such as the PMDH/PMHDT program (Pembangunan Masyarakat Desa Hutan/Terpadu program) by private sectors.

2. Community forest management/PHBM in the early 2000s by Perum Perhutani as Indonesian state-owned enterprise which was transformed into charity activities or half-hearted implementation program (Lestari and Molekandela Boer 2018)

3. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (hereafter stated as MoEF) launched social forestry program as mainstreaming program that makes the community becoming a subject who can be permitted (by the government via MoEF) to control forestry resources.

4. Interview with NE as one of the informants on 12 May 2022.

5. The maps could be accessed at this link: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=18Dtr3qX81F0AnrWHm4wZzOQdK3kaxWk&usp=sharing

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Organisasi Riset Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora.

Notes on contributors

Dicky Rachmawan

Dicky Rachmawan is a researcher of Environment Sociology at Research Center for Society and Culture (PMB-BRIN). His main research interest is examining interaction between community and forest resources management.

Gregory Acciaioli

Gregory Acciaioli is a Senior Honorary Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences University of Western Australia. One of his research interest is community development.

TB Massa Djafar

T.B.Massa Djafar is a senior lecturer and Head of Doctoral Program in Political Science, Universitas Nasional. One of his research interest is political and community development issue.

Herman Hidayat

Herman Hidayat is a senior researcher and Professor Research at Research Center for Society and Culture (PMB-BRIN). His main research interest is to explore political-ecology dynamic in community-forest management.

Robert Siburian

Robert Siburian is a senior researcher at Research Center for Society and Culture (PMB - BRIN). His main research interest is to explore the dynamic relation between community and forest management.

Sulistya Ekawati

Sulistya Ekawati is a senior researcher at Research Center for Society and Culture (PMB BRIN). Her main research interest is to explore the dynamic relation between community and forest management.

Laely Nurhidayah

Laely Nurhidayah is a senior researcher at Research Center for Law. Her main research interest is to examine regulation and environment issue such as peatland management.

Letsu Vella Sundary

Letsu Vella Sundary is a researcher at Research Center for Society and Culture. Her main research interest is to explore the dynamic relation between community and forest management.

Marcellinus Mandira Budi Utomo

Marcellinus Mandira Budi Utomo is a intermediate researcher at Research Center for Society and Culture (PMB BRIN). His main research interest is to explore the dynamic relation between community and forest management.

Annisa Meutia Ratri

Annisa Meutia Ratri is a researcher at Research Center for Society and Culture (PMB-BRIN). Her main research interest is to explore the dynamic relation between community and coastal area management.

Dini Suryani

Dini Suryani is a researcher at Research Center for Politic. One of her main research interest is to explore the dynamic of natural resources dynamic and community participation in political perspective.