The Center of Forest Education and Training (CFET), the Ministry of Forestry and FORCLIME conducted together a workshop on the development of CFET’s strategic planning for 2015 -2019 on 22 September 2014,. This strategic plan is based on the Ministry of Forestry’s strategic planning as well as the National Mid-term Development Planning (RPJM) of the Indonesian forestry sector as a whole.

The meeting was participated by officers of CFET, both structural and functional levels, by representatives from the Center of Planning and Development of Forestry Human Resources, and regional education and training agencies. In addition, officers from the National Administration Agency (LAN) were invited as well as from Perhutani (state-owned forestry company), and the Forest Concessionaires Association (APHI).

During his opening speech, the director of CFET stated that there are two challenges that need to be faced with regard to education and training in the future. These challenges are (1) some of the decision makers still consider education and training as ‘staff expenditure’ instead of ‘investment’; (2) CFET set the target to educate 41,800 staff in the future five years, which is three times more than the current target. Therefore, it is necessary to find new approaches and methods in order to achieve these objectives.

The outcomes from the discussion are several strategic ideas that are required for education and training development in the future, such as: (1) developing an e-learning approach to support classic education programmes; (2) establishing a network for cooperation; (3) enhancing capacities of CFET’s lecturers; (4) improving facilities for education and training implementation; and (5) encouraging policy and budgeting reforms in order to provide more support to education and training practices.

As a follow-up, there will be another workshop with the aim to formulate strategies, programmes and detailed activities.

For more information, please contact:
Edy Marbyanto, Strategic Area Manager for Human Capacity Development

Created: 09 October 2014

As part of its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), Indonesia has also set up a REDD+ Agency. Establishing permanent local forest management units (FMUs) on the ground is expected to be a precondition for efficient local forest governance, sustainable development and finally REDD+ since they will reduce unplanned deforestation and forest degradation and will also help to make rehabilitation and restoration efforts more successful. Due to Indonesian decentralization, the FMUs can only be effective with the commitment and understanding of provincial and district governments.
 
Against this background GIZ supported by Hessen-Forst Consulting has conducted a one-week expert dialogue from 13-20 September on sustainable forest management and climate change for government officials and technical experts from forest-rich Indonesian provinces and districts to the Federal State of Hesse, Germany. The dialogue allowed an exchange with German counterparts from the Hessian Ministry of Environment, Hessen-Forst, as well as local governments on the role of forest administrative and management structures for sustainable development at subnational level. The expert dialogue included the following meetings with and field trips to:
•    Hessian Forest Planning and Inventory Agency (FENA) in Giessen
•    Hessian Ministry of Environment, Climate, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (HMUKELV) in Wiesbaden:
•    BMZ, GIZ, KfW
•    Forest Management Unit (FMU) Herborn
•    Bupati Lahn Dill District and Walikota Herborn and Dillenburg
•    UNESCO-Biosphere Reserve Rhön Office Hesse, Wasserkuppe
•    Bupati Fulda District

Participants included representatives from REDD+ Agency, Ministry of Forestry, BAPPENAS, UN-ORCID, the Provincial Governments of East-Kalimantan, Central-Kalimantan, Jambi, West-Sumatra, South Sumatra and Central-Sulawesi, and the District Governments of Pulang Pisau, Murung Raya, Kutai Kartanegara, Donggala, Tojo-Una-Una, Merangin, Tebo, Sijunjung, Solok Selatan and Muara Enim.Participants have become familiar with the German forest administration and management system in the Federal State of Hesse as well as German bilateral cooperation relevant to REDD+. They are able to transfer lessons learnt e.g. on administrative, managerial and technical requirements for sustainable forest management (including forest and carbon monitoring/MRV) to their own subnational working context to promote the forest sector reform (FMU development) and climate change mitigation (REDD+) at provincial and district level.

For more information see https://wordpress.com/post/17962000/602

Created: 08 October 2014

Wild honey is one of the high-potential non-timber forest products in the forest management unit (FMU) of West Berau. The wild honey is produced by the Apis dorsata bees that can mostly be found on Banggeris (Koompassia sp), Banyan (Ficus sp), and Meranti (Shorea sp) trees. Local communities live in the forest and the surroundings of the FMU West Berau and collect the wild honey to sell it as an additional household income at the local market.

Usually local communities harvest the wild honey during the night to avoid getting stung as bees cannot see in the dark. They use fire and smoke to drive the bees away from their nests. Post-harvest treatment consists of squashing, which however is considered to have a negative influence on the quality of the honey.

For the purpose of sustainable honey harvesting, the FMU of West Berau collaborates with FORCLIME and the local NGO Jaringan Madu Hutan Indonesia that focuses on sustainable wild honey harvesting. Together a training was held in Kampung Muara Lesan, sub-district of Kelay, Berau district from 1 to 4 September 2014. The training was attended by 40 people that come from seven wild honey producer villages adjacent to the FMU West Berau area. The trainers were a honey farmer group from Tesso Nilo, Riau, Sumatra. They were especially invited to educate the local people in Berau.

The participants of the training were very enthusiastic, especially when the honey collectors from Tesso Nilo, Mr. Japri and Mr. Ramli, demonstrated their skills in how to climb trees to harvest honey in a sustainable manner, even during the day. This skill was also introduced to the participants in order to be practiced in their respective villages. Further knowledge and skills the participants acquired during the training include the collection of wild honey nests in sustainable manner, introduction to other bee products besides honey, filtration methods, post-harvest processing, and packaging. Additionally, the participants also learned how to set up and manage a forest honey farmer group.

Following up on the training, the FMU West Berau is going to develop a comprehensive strategy on wild honey development within the forest management unit.

For more information, please contact:
Ali Mustofa, Adviser for Community Based Forest Management (CBFM)

Created: 30 September 2014