"One of the issues related to issuance of forest management permits..."Jambi (ANTARA News) - Jambi province has the largest community-based forest in Indonesia, covering 52,521 hectares, according to Jambi River Basin Management (BPDAS) head Garendel Siboro.
The community-based forest in Indonesia is expected to cover an area of 10 million hectares by 2015, while the reserve area is expected to reach 854,289 hectares, he said here on Thursday.
"The community-based forest management program covers several forest management projects on community forestry and rural forestry, among others" Garendel added.
He noted that community-based forest management was the most effective way to preserve and protect forests, particularly in the upstream areas.
"We admit that several mistakes have been made during this time, which stemmed from lack of agreement between the government and local administration on policies. One of the issues related to issuance of forest management permits, which hampered forest preservation efforts," Garendel explained.
"Through community-based forest management, the local people can be directly involved in protecting their environment. Besides, the forests can also provide employment opportunities for locals, who can benefit from selling non-timber products," he said.
Meanwhile, Yulgori, the coordinator of Indonesian Conservation Community (KKI) Warsi, Jambi, also stated that community-based forest management scheme would help preserve the forests as well as benefit the local economy.
"People can exploit the forests either individually or in groups, as long as they obey the rules and get permission. Therefore, awareness about the benefits of environmental sustainability must be raised among all the stakeholders," he added.
(T.KR-LWA/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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