Government Encourages Achievement Of Social Forestry Targets

Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - The Minister of Environment and Forestry (LHK), Siti Nurbaya, encourages greater efforts so that the social forestry area reaches the ideal forest management target that has been set with the social forestry area of 4.9 million hectares so far.

"Currently, it must take place in real terms until the following years, so that greater efforts need to be made so that the area achieved is close to the ideal target of forest management that has been set", said Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti when opening the Enchantment Coffee Festival of Agroforestry followed by virtual from Jakarta on Tuesday, January 25th.

Quoted by Antara, Siti explained that the ideal target for providing access to forest area management by the community is 12.7 million hectares where the proportion of access to forest management by the community is better. It is hoped that this target can be achieved as soon as possible.

According to her, in the period until 2019, it is targeted to be 4.2 million hectares and by 2024 it is projected to have more than 8 million hectares.

"Maybe a minimum of 8 million hectares so that we can eventually reach 12.7 million hectares", she said.

The realization of social forestry so far is 4.9 million hectares and 8,154 social forestry business groups have been formed with 1.1 million heads of families who carry out business activities for the use of forests and forest products and environmental services.

Minister Siti emphasized that work support for achievement is very important. For this reason, it is necessary to continue to encourage joint work by involving more intensively local government officials, forest stakeholder units (KPH), non-governmental organizations, related UPT KLHK (Integrated Service Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry), communities, and various elements of society.

In addition, efforts to assist in follow-up programs are very important. This is to encourage communities around the forest to have the ability to enter into the business aspects of social forestry in the form of not only agroforestry but also ecotourism and bioenergy.