"We continue to encourage the positive impact of social forestry, both for the community and for forest sustainability," head of the Lampung Forestry Office, Yanyan Ruchyansyah, said here on Friday.
Sectors other than forestry, such as agriculture, will also be integrated into the development area, he revealed.
"We also encourage the establishment of Integrated Area Development (IAD) in forestry related to agriculture and various other sectors, so that commodities and potential produced by forests can be managed properly and integrated," he explained.
Ruchyansyah expressed the hope that with the existence of an integrated development area, communities living near forests can increase and maintain their prosperity.
"It is expected to reduce conflicts between humans and animals, and maintain forest sustainability," he added.
According to him, the social forestry scheme has contributed Rp566 million to the non-tax state revenue (PNBP).
"Social forestry is expected to contribute to local income, one of which is through the development of forest tourism and Integrated Area Development,” he said.
Social forestry has opened opportunities for many parties such as local residents in the upstream, farmers, and those involved in processing products, as well as opened access for exports.
Through social forestry, stakeholders outside of the forestry sector can also get involved in the context of people's empowerment, prosperity improvement, and work opportunities.
Social forestry is a sustainable forest management system implemented in a state forest area or customary forests. The main actors in social forestry are customary or local communities who participate in it to improve their welfare, environmental balance, and sociocultural dynamics.
The proportion of social forestry is currently 18 percent for the community, and the rest is managed by private enterprises and state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
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Translator: Ruth K, Kenzu
Editor: Sri Haryati
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