There are many challenges associated with implementing social forestry schemes out in the field, including in the Forest Management Unit (KPH) of Kulawi, which is located in Central Sulawesi. The village of Doda, which is one of the villages being assisted by KPH Kulawi, already has Village Forest Management Rights (Hak Pengelolaan Hutan Desa/HPHD), as issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. However, until now, the management of the village forest here has not been operational. In order to correct this, FORCLIME held a coordination meeting with KPH Kulawi to discuss collaborative plans aimed at strengthening the Village Forest Management Institution (Lembaga Pengelola Hutan Desa/LPHD) and developing a forest management and operationalization plan for the Doda Village Forest. Initial discussions of these plans were held on 28 June 2022 at the KPH Kulawi Office.

In order to follow up on these previous discussions, the FORCLIME team and the forestry extension staff of KPH Kulawi visited the village of Doda in order to identify potentials, opportunities and obstacles to implementing social forestry at the site level, and also to identify local champions or local community leaders who will later be invited to participate in the strengthening of the LPHD.

On 11 July 2022, FORCLIME held another coordination meeting with KPH Kulawi in order to discuss the results of the field visit and plans for the strengthening of the LPHD in the village of Doda. During the meeting, it was agreed that FORCLIME would also support the strengthening of the LPHD in the village of Rogo, which is also a target village of KPH Kulawi.

Mr. Dodi, S.Hut., M.Si., the Head of the KSDAE Protection and Community Empowerment Section at KPH Kulawi, affirmed that the main obstacle to developing an adequate village forest management regime within the villages of Doda and Rogo was limited resources, meaning that cooperation with other parties is badly needed. “GIZ has often partnered with the Central Sulawesi Provincial Forestry Service. Therefore, we hope that KPH Kulawi will also be able to engage in collaborative activities with GIZ at the site level,” Mr. Dodi explained.

For more information, please contact:
Muhammad Yusuf, Junior Advisor for Social Forestry and Sustainable Forest Management
Ismet Khaeruddin, Senior Adviser for Biodiversity Focal Point for the KFW Forest Program 3 and Provincial Coordinator for Central Sulawesi