In 2023, the granting of Social Forestry program permits has reached 5.3 million hectares from the target of 12.7 million. Although this number is quite large, this achievement is still far from its main goal, namely increasing deforestation cover and improving the economic welfare of the community. Social Forestry is a program of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) in the form of a forest and environmental management approach that involves local communities as the main actors in protecting and utilizing their forest resources.
One of the causes of this is the weakness of the indigenous forest community institutions after the issuance of the Social Forestry permit. Strengthening the institutions of the Indigenous Law Community is a crucial approach in addressing this issue because of the cultural wisdom and local knowledge possessed by each MHA.
To live in harmony with nature, a society must have a social organization system that manages its environment. Through the Social Forestry program, the state officially grants indigenous peoples the right to combine local culture with modern forest management practices to use resources and protect forests.
Social Forestry Area of Enrekang Regency
On Last September 26-30, the Article 33 Indonesia team supported by the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH) visited Enrekang Regency., South Sulawesi. This visit is part of the Institutional Capacity Building Program for Indigenous Peoples. Since the issuance of the Social Forestry Decree in 2018, 108 MHAs have received Customary Forest Decrees. Of the 108, 48 already have KUPS.
KUPS (Social Forestry Business Group) is a group consisting of local communities involved in business activities in the Social Forestry area. KUPS exists as an alternative and people's economic forum to improve the welfare of village communities.
On this occasion, Article 33 visited the forest areas of MHA Marena, MHA Orong, and MHA Tangsa. Among the three MHAs, Tangsa does not yet have its own KUPS. But of course Tangsa has its own community structure to live together with the surrounding nature.
Customary Culture as the Organization of Social Forestry
MHA Tangsa maintains 115 hectares of customary land. Through the Social Forestry program, this Tangsa customary land has been officially recognized by the state. This land is regulated by each customary leader, of which there are seven in Tangsa. This land is used as a horticultural garden such as cabbage, onions, eggplant, and coffee and clove gardens. This land is used as a communal right, this gives rise to an unwritten rule that the plantation land cannot be planted with short-term crops.
The Tangsa community still preserves their cultural wisdom in the form of rituals. One of them is "Mapakan indo bakarka" which is done after the harvest so that the results are good. Or "Makmammang" which is a ritual to ward off external threats with prayers. Also "Menganta" which is a mass healing procession carried out by interacting with the spirits of ancestors. Although not carried out by all members of the Tangsa community as before, this cultural wisdom is still alive in some parts of the community.
Another cultural aspect that is useful in forest management is the sanctification of the spring area in the middle of the Tangsa customary forest. This frees the area from agricultural activities or land clearing, thus preserving the water source used by all MHA Tangsa residents.
Orong MHA maintains 181 hectares of customary land. Customary leaders, other customary leaders, and the great lineage called “Batu Ariri” have a central role in managing Orong customary land. Orong customary land is managed communally, which is worked on in turns every two years by each head of the family.
This division is regulated in a customary meeting held at the end of the second year. The customary chief memorizes thousands of names of MHA Orong residents and their genealogies so that the division is fair and even.
From this division, so that the land is sustainable and provides benefits to others, there are implicit regulations, including: to set aside 2.5% infaq from the harvest, a ban on clearing new land without deliberation, a ban on long-term planting (only potatoes, rice, corn, etc.), and of course a ban on private land certification.
However, the culture of memorizing genealogy (or “ariri”) also presents challenges for the three MHA in Enrekang Regency. The three traditional leaders we met were all quite old; memorizing thousands of lineages, and other forms of cadre formation are major obstacles for the younger generation who will replace them. This illustrates that MHA institutions are very much needed to support traditional culture in the management of Social Forestry.
These cultural values are not only spiritual expressions and lifestyles of the community, but also a form of guidance for them in interacting with their ecosystem. Culture instills emotional bonds and collective responsibility for environmental management.
By combining their culture with Social Forestry management, indigenous communities can create a wiser approach, while also establishing their identity as heirs to their customary forests that have been passed down from generation to generation.
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