LATIN

FINAL PROJECT STATUS BRIEF 2001

Instituting a Participatory Forestry Initiative

Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia (LATIN)
Jl Sutera, Kp. Jawa,
Situgede Bogor, Indonesia
P. (62) (0251) 626 593; F: (62) (0251) 337 417
E-mail: latin@indo.net.id Web Site: http://www.latin.or.id

Geographical focus

Tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests

The work focus of Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia (LATIN) has evolved from community-based natural resources management research to simply community forestry advocacy. It now works with fellow Indonesian NGOs, universities and select government counterparts at the Ministry of Forestry to develop the alternative concept of community forestry, and the skills needed to successfully implement it.

In the last three years, LATIN has presented options for key policy issues in forest management in an effort to make constructive contributions to policy reform. By the end of 1998 LATIN outlined to various stakeholders, recommendations for forest management in its book "Returning the Forests to the People". This included a call to government to limit its own control and instead support facilities to forest communities; to move from ownership to partnership; from utilitarianism to management; from unilateral to participatory decision making; from blueprint to participatory learning processes; from national benefits to a balance with local interests; from "forests-for-foresters" to "forests-for-local-communities"; and from external initiatives to local community initiatives.

To follow through with these recommendations, LATIN will actively create opportunities to develop better understanding of community forestry within the Department of Forestry. While doing this, it will also build stronger local community counterparts at field sites. LATIN will work with the Center for Education and Training of the Ministry of Forestry to develop a community forestry orientation and training. This will focus more on the field foresters and second layer officials at the Ministry, as they implement forest management arrangements. LATIN will also develop a participatory village-based information system that facilitates information flowing quickly from the "center" to field sites and vice-versa. The information system is designed to ensure genuine participation of communities in community forestry advocacy, build accountability among NGO advocates and government decision-makers, and most importantly, to bring to communities the ability to develop local agendas themselves for the sustainable management of their villages. Trainings, apprenticeships, field visits and workshops will be among the activities that will be implemented in this project.

LATIN facilitated many partners, especially local community and government to grapple with forestry management issues on the ground while taking stock of challenges and opportunities during the reform period. Implementation of this project in the last two years shows results as seen from increased positive interactions between community groups, district governments and the Forestry Department.

Various community units LATIN works with, like TOGA-Family Medicinal Plant Farms and National Park Rehabiliation Groups in Jember, PHBM-Community Forest Management groups in Kuningan, Village Information groups in Ujung Kulon, Community Forest groups in Sukabumi maintain progressive links with government agencies in each of their areas. These links range from joint management, protection and rehabilitation agreements for Meru Betiri National Park buffer zones to MOUs for joint planning with district government and state plantation company in Kuningan, among a few examples. Local government partners that requested and received direct technical assistance from LATIN include, the district governments of Jember, Kuningan, Garut, Sukabumi, Nusa Tengarra Barat, Central Kalimantan and Lombok. The three key units in the Department of Forestry that LATIN maintains close links with are the Director- General on Nature Conservation and Protection, the Sub-directorate on Community Forestry as well as its Center for Education and Training. These links are in the form of technical assistance, facilitation and production of important materials. For example, LATIN has developed principles, criteria and indicators on community forestry as well as site-based models to show government how alternative perspectives can work and ways to evaluate the progress of community forestry institutions.

LATIN uses an approach it calls "collaborative management", described in its recently published Collaborative Management Handbook as "a synthesis of stakeholder management, ecologically conscious management and conflict management". This handbook, and LATIN's experiences in handling conflict related to natural resources especially over community forests, led to another compilation entitled "Innovations in Resolving Conflict over Forest Resources." Previously, LATIN with assistance from KEMALA, conducted conflict resolution training in Lampung and Jember, East Java, involving local farmers, local leaders, local government representatives and NGOs.

LATIN used the new community forestry regulation (Forestry Decree No. 31) focusing on the role of local government, to push forward a round of national debates over the need to genuinely address community forestry issues in the context of regional autonomy. In a recently concluded workshop, several participating district government heads showed keen interest to collaborate with LATIN and local communities, using LATIN's approach.
Common features of LATIN's approach include:
1) taking advantage of existing government programs on site by offering facilitating, bridging communications with locals for "collaborative management"; 2) setting up a mechanism for information exchange and conflict management;
3) assessing ecosystem carrying capacity and social integrity;
4) community organizing. In future collaborative efforts with local government, LATIN and local partners will target basic local regulations establishing authority and control of the village by village institutions, and a budget regulation that switches control of village allocations to the village institution for the sole interests of the village.

[ Bantaya ] - [ ELSAM ] - [ FPK ] - [ Hualopu ] - [ JKPP ] - [ Jaring Pela ] - [ KalBar SHK ]

[ Kemala ] - [ KonPenMA ] - [ KPA ] - [ KPSHK ] - [ LATIN ] - [ LMAA ] - [ LPPMA ]

[ Pancurkasih ] - [ PLASMA ] - [ Pro Plasma ] - [ PUTER ] - [ RMI ] - [ Telapak ] - [ WWF Sahul ]

[ YBAW ] - [ YLBHI ] - [ YPLHC ] - [ YTM ]



	FINAL PROJECT STATUS BRIEF 2001

Project	Instituting a Participatory Forestry Initiative
Partner	Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia (LATIN) Jl Sutera, Kp. Jawa, Situgede Bogor, Indonesia P. (62) (0251) 626 593; F: (62) (0251) 337 417 E-mail: latin@indo.net.id Web Site: http://www.latin.or.id
Geographical focus	Nation wide
Biome	Tropical and subtropical broadleaf forests
Timing	Commencing May 1999
Description	The work focus of Lembaga Alam Tropika Indonesia (LATIN) has evolved from community-based natural resources management research to simply community forestry advocacy. It now works with fellow Indonesian NGOs, universities and select government counterparts at the Ministry of Forestry to develop the alternative concept of community forestry, and the skills needed to successfully implement it. In the last three years, LATIN has presented options for key policy issues in forest management in an effort to make constructive contributions to policy reform. By the end of 1998 LATIN outlined to various stakeholders, recommendations for forest management in its book "Returning the Forests to the People". This included a call to government to limit its own control and instead support facilities to forest communities; to move from ownership to partnership; from utilitarianism to management; from unilateral to participatory decision making; from blueprint to participatory learning processes; from national benefits to a balance with local interests; from "forests-for-foresters" to "forests-for-local-communities"; and from external initiatives to local community initiatives. To follow through with these recommendations, LATIN will actively create opportunities to develop better understanding of community forestry within the Department of Forestry. While doing this, it will also build stronger local community counterparts at field sites. LATIN will work with the Center for Education and Training of the Ministry of Forestry to develop a community forestry orientation and training. This will focus more on the field foresters and second layer officials at the Ministry, as they implement forest management arrangements. LATIN will also develop a participatory village-based information system that facilitates information flowing quickly from the "center" to field sites and vice-versa. The information system is designed to ensure genuine participation of communities in community forestry advocacy, build accountability among NGO advocates and government decision-makers, and most importantly, to bring to communities the ability to develop local agendas themselves for the sustainable management of their villages. Trainings, apprenticeships, field visits and workshops will be among the activities that will be implemented in this project.
Results	LATIN facilitated many partners, especially local community and government to grapple with forestry management issues on the ground while taking stock of challenges and opportunities during the reform period. Implementation of this project in the last two years shows results as seen from increased positive interactions between community groups, district governments and the Forestry Department. Various community units LATIN works with, like TOGA-Family Medicinal Plant Farms and National Park Rehabiliation Groups in Jember, PHBM-Community Forest Management groups in Kuningan, Village Information groups in Ujung Kulon, Community Forest groups in Sukabumi maintain progressive links with government agencies in each of their areas. These links range from joint management, protection and rehabilitation agreements for Meru Betiri National Park buffer zones to MOUs for joint planning with district government and state plantation company in Kuningan, among a few examples. Local government partners that requested and received direct technical assistance from LATIN include, the district governments of Jember, Kuningan, Garut, Sukabumi, Nusa Tengarra Barat, Central Kalimantan and Lombok. The three key units in the Department of Forestry that LATIN maintains close links with are the Director- General on Nature Conservation and Protection, the Sub-directorate on Community Forestry as well as its Center for Education and Training. These links are in the form of technical assistance, facilitation and production of important materials. For example, LATIN has developed principles, criteria and indicators on community forestry as well as site-based models to show government how alternative perspectives can work and ways to evaluate the progress of community forestry institutions. LATIN uses an approach it calls "collaborative management", described in its recently published Collaborative Management Handbook as "a synthesis of stakeholder management, ecologically conscious management and conflict management". This handbook, and LATIN's experiences in handling conflict related to natural resources especially over community forests, led to another compilation entitled "Innovations in Resolving Conflict over Forest Resources." Previously, LATIN with assistance from KEMALA, conducted conflict resolution training in Lampung and Jember, East Java, involving local farmers, local leaders, local government representatives and NGOs. LATIN used the new community forestry regulation (Forestry Decree No. 31) focusing on the role of local government, to push forward a round of national debates over the need to genuinely address community forestry issues in the context of regional autonomy. In a recently concluded workshop, several participating district government heads showed keen interest to collaborate with LATIN and local communities, using LATIN's approach. Common features of LATIN's approach include: 1) taking advantage of existing government programs on site by offering facilitating, bridging communications with locals for "collaborative management"; 2) setting up a mechanism for information exchange and conflict management; 3) assessing ecosystem carrying capacity and social integrity; 4) community organizing. In future collaborative efforts with local government, LATIN and local partners will target basic local regulations establishing authority and control of the village by village institutions, and a budget regulation that switches control of village allocations to the village institution for the sole interests of the village.