INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue I January 2025

Effectiveness of Social Forestry Programs Towards Resolving Forest

Management Conflicts in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

*¹Baso Madiong, ²Almusawir, ³Abdurrifai, ⁴Firman Anugrah

, , ,

¹ ² ³ ⁴Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Bosowa University, Makassar

⁵Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Pejuang Republic of Indonesia University, Makassar

*Correspondence Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.9010224

Received: 30 December 2024; Accepted: 03 January 2025; Published: 13 February 2025

ABSTRACT

Forests as one of the determinants of the life support system and source of people's prosperity, have recently

experienced shrinkage and are very worried about the consequences of deforestation, forestry conflicts, forestry

corruption and so on that occur in South Sulawesi Province. Therefore, it is necessary to have sustainable and

sustainable forest management, one of the efforts made by the government is through the Social Forestry

Program. However, unfortunately, the existence of social forestry in South Sulawesi Province is currently not

optimal and is not in accordance with the targets set by the government. This study aims to analyze various

obstacles in social forestry management so far in South Sulawesi Province. The research method used is

normative-empirical research with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The results of the study show that

the obstacles in the management of social forestry in South Sulawesi Province are the lack of budget provided,

long and convoluted licensing and administration, errors in setting social forestry targets based on area, difficulty

in determining the location of land, sometimes the land given to the community is very difficult to reach, the

commodities offered to the community have no economic value. Sanctions enforcement has not been optimal

due to the difficulty of obtaining evidence and collusion with law enforcement officials.

Keywords: social forestry, conflict resolution, Forest management

INTRODUCTION

Forests are a gift from God Almighty that provides many benefits for human life in the world (Suganda, 2024).

So that humans should protect and use forests wisely and wisely. Forest utilization has the goal of obtaining

optimal benefits for the welfare of all communities in a sustainable manner while maintaining forest

sustainability. Limited access to community land around forests is undeniably one of the causes of deforestation

(Sutama, 2023). This problem encourages the emergence of the concept of social forestry even though in some

regions the goal of sustainable social forestry has not been achieved (Istikorini & Sari, 2022).

Social Forestry in Indonesia was born from a paradigm shift in global community in conventional forest

management to a more modern system (Pambudi, 2020). In the past, forest management was only controlled by

a few people, including the government, and ignored the existence of the community in it. As a result, forests

are increasingly damaged by unsustainable management (Molnar et al., 2011).

This paradigm is changing along with the occurrence of widespread deforestation. Like a breath of fresh air, the

perspective of forest management has finally changed, from forest management by the state to joint management

with the community, namely forest management that must involve and prosper the community around the forest

(Kahsay et al., 2023).

Social forestry as regulated in the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry No. 83 of 2016

concerning Social Forestry explains that the sustainable forest management system implemented in the State

forest area or the right forest/customary forest implemented by the local community or customary law

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue I January 2025

community as the main actor to improve its welfare, environmental balance and socio-cultural dynamics in the

form of Village Forests, Community Forests, Community Plantation Forests, Community Forests, Customary

Forests, and Forestry Partnerships (Gunawan et al., 2022).

Furthermore, it is regulated in Presidential Regulation Number 28 of 2023 concerning Integrated Planning for

the Acceleration of Social Forestry Management which regulates the Acceleration of Social Forestry

Management which is a collaboration between ministries/agencies, provincial and district/city regional

governments and related parties in accelerating the achievement of social forestry management targets that are

implemented in a holistic, integrative, thematic, and spatial manner as planned Integrally (Raodah et al., 2024).

Integrated planning for the Acceleration of Social Forestry Management includes: 1) distribution of legal access;

2) the development of social forestry businesses; and 3) mentoring (Ekowati, 2022)

Social forestry policy in Indonesia is basically born from a long historical process (Pambudi, 2020). This policy

is inspired by the paradigm shift (carapandang) of the global community in managing forests conventionally

(Timber Extraction & Timber Management) who tend to see forests solely as wood and habitat for fauna by

negating the existence of the surrounding community or in the forest that lives, interacts and depends on the

existence of the forest as an inseparable ecosystem (Nugroho et al., 2022). The old paradigm that leads to forest

destruction and structural impoverishment of communities around forests (Arasa-Gisbert et al., 2022).

Social Forestry has actually been pioneered for a long time through various forms of activities, both in the form

of intercropping programs in perhutani, and PMDH by HPH/HTI (Kusuma et al., 2023). After the New Order,

the central government has opened up space for greater rights for local communities through the Law on Forestry

No. 41 of 1999 and Government Regulation No. 6 of 2007 jo No. 3 of 2008 concerning Forest Management and

the Preparation of Forest Management Plans, as well as Forest Utilization (M.R. et al., 2016). Furthermore,

through the Constitutional Court (MK) Decision No. 35 of 2012, Customary Areas are recognized and are not

part of the State Forest Area (Hadisaroso et al., 2024).

The Reform Era and Indonesia's entry into the democratic atmosphere is a great momentum for the development

of social forestry discourse. It is like a seed in dry soil that begins to sprout when the rain begins to come (Trauger,

2015). The wave of justice and social welfare in forest management is getting stronger at the local level

(supported by the spirit of decentralization) (Fisher, 2000). However, ironically, it has almost 20 years since the

reform momentum has passed, and the social forestry paradigm is still just a political jargon to attract the masses,

limited to a mere program of promises.

For this reason, the government hopes that the realization of social forestry is important to be accelerated in

order to improve the welfare of the people who manage forest products through environmental empowerment

and preservation (Ragandhi et al., 2021). With the issuance of Presidential Regulation Number 23 of 2021, it is

hoped that real empowerment collaboration will be realized, both from ministries and agencies, local

governments, and other related parties to increase community capacity in social forestry management to be more

prosperous and prosperous (Affandi et al., 2021).

The target for the implementation of the social forestry program by the South Sulawesi Provincial government

can currently be said to be extraordinary. The government through the Ministry of Environment & Forestry

(MoEF) targets approximately 272,858.95 hectares of forest areas managed by the community through HD,

HKm, HTR, Customary Forest, and Partnership schemes (Wahyuni, 2021).

RESEARCH METHODS

This study uses a qualitative research design with descriptive survey methods and qualitative analysis. This study

aims to analyze social forestry in resolving forest management conflicts. The research method used is normative-

empirical research with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The data collection technique was carried out

by observation, in-depth interviews with the South Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Service, forestry observer

groups and community leaders, as well as through documentation studies of relevant document archives, this

research is intended to reveal what conditions cause the failure of the management of the Social Forestry Program

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue I January 2025

RESEARCH RESULTS

Forests have crucial ecological, economic, and social functions as a source of life as well as a support system

for life on earth (Pane & Yanis, 2024). The concept of sustainable forest management (Sustainable Forest

Management) became famous since it was raised as a topic at the United Nations conference on Environment

and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (Kumar et al., 2021). Sustainable Forest Management It is a

form of application of the concept of sustainable development in forest management (Adamowicz & Burton,

2015). Sustainable Forest Management defined as a way of managing forests and forest resources to meet the

social, economic, ecological, cultural, and spiritual needs of current and future generations (Bhandari &

Lamichhane, 2020). Concept Sustainable Forest Management or sustainable forest management is also applied

in social forestry development in several provinces in Indonesia (Rachmina et al., 2024).

South Sulawesi Province is located at 0°12' - 8° South Latitude and 116°48' - 122°36' East Longitude. The area

is 45,764.53 km². The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi and West Sulawesi to the north, Bone Bay and

Southeast Sulawesi to the east, the Makassar Strait to the west and the Flores Sea to the south.

Forest destruction in South Sulawesi Province is still a challenge for forestry development. Community activities

around the forest are a potential for forest destruction, most people use the forest as a land for cultivating annual

crops that have a short harvest period (Yuliani et al., 2023). Efforts to protect and secure forests from forest

destruction continue to be carried out with a persuasive approach so that it is hoped that there will be awareness

to maintain the existing forest ecosystem (Sarmiento et al., 2024). Preventive efforts to protect and secure forests

are carried out routinely by the forestry police. Forest damage is caused by unlicensed forest use (forest

encroachment), forest fires and illegal logging (Wardani, 2021).

The achievement of forest management through social forestry until 2023 reached 196,745.33 ha or 11.05% of

the area of protected and production forests covering an area of 1,780,029 ha.

Based on data obtained at the research site, social forestry that has been realized in South Sulawesi Province has

reached 80% spread across several districts in South Sulawesi. For details, please see the following table:

Table 1 Realization of Social Forestry in Several Districts in South Sulawesi

Number

Regency Name

Gowa

Types of Managed Territories

Social Forestry and Community Forests

Customary Forests

Stages

Assignment of Rights

Assignment of rights

Proposal

Bulukumba

North Toraja

Tana Toraja

Enrekang

Bone

Customary Forests

Proposal

Social Forestry and Community Forests

Social Forestry and Village Forests

Social Forestry

Proposal

Jeneponto

North Luwu

Barru

Proposal

Social Forestry

Assignment of Rights

Proposal

Social Forestry

Sinjai

Social Forestry and Customary Forests

Social Forestry

Takalar

Pangkep

Social Forestry

Proposal

Data Source: South Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Service

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue I January 2025

The data above shows that of the eleven districts that were recorded, they are generally in the stage of

determining rights, although there are still districts that are temporarily proposing social forestry programs.

In South Sulawesi Province, there are several things that are recorded as challenges in the implementation of

Social Forestry (Herrawan et al., 2022). Among them is that people's access to forest management, including

indigenous peoples, is still limited (Alfitri et al., 2022). This program is also considered not to be a priority so

that the target for its achievement in South Sulawesi is very low.

Another obstacle that is also important to observe is the massive land conflict between the community,

companies and the government. There are several findings of land conflict cases in South Sulawesi by civil

society. For example, in 2022 in several districts that are under pressure from the mining and plantation industries

which have had a negative impact on the environment and society.

Among them are Gowa (Stone mining), Maros (Cement mines around ancient sites and the construction of

KIMA II), Pangkajene Islands (Mining threatens the environment), Enrekang (Marble mines covering an area

of 75.20 Ha), North Luwu (mining permits are in the Buffer Area/Watershed), Takalar (Sand mines on the coast),

Makassar (Center Point of Indonesia), Pinrang (Forest Area transfer without clarity of permits).

There are so many cases of people moving people in the forest in South Sulawesi, and of course, the residents

who have lived as they have been on the slopes of the mountains are quite large. This means that quite a number

of residents live below the poverty line in the midst of the nutritional condition of the landscape which is

increasingly depleted.

This is the strongest reason for the emergence of the idea of Social Forestry, which is a way of mediating

protracted conflicts, between residents around the forest and the government

From data collected by the Sulawesi Community Foundation, the area of South Sulawesi's forest area is

approximately 2,725,796 hectares, or about 46.42 percent of the area of South Sulawesi. Of the 3,030 villages

in South Sulawesi, there are 1,028 villages in forest areas, with around 864,510 poor people in them.

In addition, legal access licensing is taken in stages that are easy and difficult. The first thing is to strengthen

multi-stakeholder support at the provincial and district levels that are targeted to obtain permits. The parties

involved are the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership

Center (BPSKL) of the South Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Service, the Forest Management Unit (FMU), the

sub-district government, the village government, local communities, and forestry assistants.

Public understanding of Social Forestry is still very minimal. In fact, there are often misunderstandings about

the provision of legal access. Some cleared the forest because they did not understand that the forest should

remain intact, but they were given access to take what could be used.

CONCLUSION

The community around the forest is one of the poor groups in South Sulawesi. Where the community around the

forest, generally poorly educated, is very dependent on the surrounding forest products to meet their daily needs,

if they have a side job, it can be ascertained that it is an informal job with low wages, and is too focused on

efforts to meet the needs of the family so that they have less opportunities for capacity building activities. Poverty

in communities around forests can be overcome by optimizing the implementation of social forestry programs.

Community capacity building is absolutely necessary because they will play a role as the main actors of social

forestry activities. Capacity building requires equal opportunities for each group member, including the poorest

communities.

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