PROFAUNA Helps Farmers Mark the Social Forestry Boundaries on the Slopes of Mount Arjuna
The PROFAUNA Indonesia team assisted the Wonomulyo Forest Farmer Group (KTH) to mark the boundaries of the social forestry areas on the slopes of Mount Arjuna in early November 2023. The group, which was previously in the form of a Forest Village Community Institution (LMDH), obtained forest management rights covering an area of 357.60 hectares from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) through a social forestry scheme in 2019.
A total of 188 forest farmers from Bulukerto Village, Batu City were registered in the MoEF Decree number SK 7140/MENLHK. PSKL/PKPS/PSL.0/8/2019 concerning Recognition and protection of forestry partnerships (Kulin KK). The decree states that forest farmers get recognition from the state to manage forests sustainably.
In addition to the right to use forests, farmers also have obligations such as maintaining forest functions, planting, implementing forest protection, and marking forestry partnership area boundaries.
In marking the boundaries of the forestry partnership area, Wonomulyo group collaborated with PROFAUNA Indonesia as a field assistant. PROFAUNA Indonesia deployed two of its staff with forestry backgrounds. They are Azhar Fachrudin and Mochamad Anastiana to assist Wonomulyo group in marking boundaries.
PROFAUNA Indonesia's assistance to Wonomulyo group has been carried out since 2021, due to requests for assistance from the community. Since then, PROFAUNA Indonesia has actively assisted Wonomulyo group through the assistance of tree seeds, construction of forest monitoring posts, education to forest farmers, ecotourism development and mapping.
The social forestry area of Wonomulyo group, which is located on the slopes of Mount Arjuna, is also important in preserving species diversity. The PROFAUNA Indonesia team recorded at least 3 Javan eagles in this forest area. Currently, the PROFAUNA Indonesia team is still collecting data on the diversity of animal species on the slopes of Mount Arjuna.
PROFAUNA Indonesia sees that social forestry areas are not only about forest utilization for agriculture or ordinary tourism but can also be developed for conservation tourism. Moreover, seeing great potential in Mount Pucung which can be developed further as conservation and educational tourism.
This conservation education tour has been explored by PROFAUNA, by bringing a number of young people to Mount Pucung to get to know coffee farming in the forest area.
"The trust from the state to the community to manage forests sustainably through this social forestry scheme is a step forward and forest farmers must prove that they are able to manage forests well, because social forestry does not mean being free to use forests as they want but there are conservation rules and regulation that must still be enforced," concluded Rosek Nursahid, an ecologist from PROFAUNA Indonesia.