Wonosobo: Facing Decentralized Forest Management¹

 Irfan Bakhtiar²

A BRIEF OF WONOSOBO

Wonosobo is one of districts in Central Java Province. There are 13 sub districts and 264 villages in Wonosobo. This nice and clean small district, that 120-km distance from Semarang, the capital of Central Java, is next to several districts in Central Java, i.e.:

• North side : Kendal and Batang
• South side : Kebumen and Purworejo
• West side : Banjarnegara and Kebumen
• East side : Temanggung and Magelang

The territory of Wonosobo is approximately 984,68 km² (3% from Central Java’s) with the number of citizen (1999) 740.013, which set up among hills and valleys within North Serayu Mountain range. This area covers several watersheds management. Most of them have north and south mountain range as water sources. The water flow from north to south in the direction to Indonesia Ocean. There are several stagnant pits (lakes) i.e. Wadaslintang reservoir, Menjer lake, Pengilon lake, Warna lake, and Cebong lake.

Based on its position, the landscape of Wonosobo is mostly high slope hill. More than 50% of it has 15%-40% slope, and 30% of it has 40% one. The altitudes are extremely varied, from 270-2,250 meter mean sea level. So that, this region is very sensitive to calamities, i.e. flooding and land sliding. These conditions are worn out by high level of waterfall (2,000 mm – 3,000 mm per annum). Because of those conditions, sustainable forest has significant roles to the existence of the ecology and society in Wonosobo. Forest could prevent the threatening calamity effectively.

Recent, the condition of Wonosobo forests is miserable. Degradation and deforestation rate augmented each year. In the last two years, the forest plundering happened on state forest areas; deforestation and non-productive areas are appearing. It covers 11,249.2 hectares at the end of 1999, while the total state forest covers 18,896.42 hectares. Moreover, the forest plundering is still carry on. Beyond the forest plundering, Wonosobo forests — slow but sure – threaten seriously.

It is the moment for local government and community to pay attention seriously in reserving environment. The priority of natural resources management especially forest resources management is sustainability aspect. So that the main activity on it are rehabilitation on both non-productive and degraded area. This effort related to the function of forest as the lowland ecosystem buffer. The existence of it depends on the health of the forest ecology in this area.

FOREST RESOURCE CONDITION

State Forest, the conflicting potency

Wonosobo State forest under Perum Perhutani authority covers more than 19.2% from total regency area. There are two Forest districts i.e. Kedu Selatan Forest District and Kedu Utara Forest District. Kedu Selatan Forest District covers 8.934.72 ha, made of pine and damar plantation. KPH Kedu Utara cover 9,961.7 ha, made of pine plantation. However, the landscape is hilly, most of them are production forest (67.96%), meanwhile, 31.59% are preserve forest, 0.27% are conservation forest, and 0.11 are recreation forest.

As stated before, at the end of 1999, more than half of the areas have conversed become non-productive areas because of plundering, exploitation, and calamity. Beside problem of non-productive area, there are social conflicts on land. The conflicts are not only about tennurial but also land status (inter-sectors and inter-departmental).

Community forest, the immense and emerging potency

The community forest management is in the opposite of the pessimistic state forest management. There are several places in Wonosobo could become samples of success stories on community forest management. The community develops cultivation systems on the various random mixture plantations. Community forest in Wonosobo covers 19,472 hectares at the end of 1998 and exaggerated since the community interested to pick Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria) on their dry land cultivation.

The community has sufficient consciousness to the importance of the forest existence. It could be identified from the average of community forest is 0,56 hectares/landholder, while the average of landholding is 0,38 hectares/family. Totally, the coverage of community forest is greater than the coverage of farm (18,564,21 ha). The coverage of community forest (33,100 hectares) is almost half of total cultivated land (farm, dry land, and home garden).

The awareness also could be identified from the number of tree in the certain space (tree density). If the average of tree density is 309 trees/hectare, then each landholder able to cultivate 173 trees/hectare. Based on the field observation, sengon is still being main preference. However, the community cultivates their dry land with other species (mixed plantation). Some trees commonly planted are Toona sureni (suren), Sweitenia mahagony (mahoni), Durio zibetinus (durian), coconut, jackfruit, and other local wood trees. There are not only wood trees but also estate and agricultural crop such as coffee, bananas, pineapples, and salacca.

FOREST AND DISTRICT INTEREST

Forestry Sector Contribution to the District Revenue

The contribution of state forest management to the district revenue is relatively non-significant. The district only receives Rp. 63 million from IHH (provision) at 1998/1999. Other indirect revenue arrives from land and property taxes (Pajak Bumi dan Bangunan) paid by Perum Perhutani. It is not direct revenue because it gains by district via Ministry of Finance. The direct revenue gains from wood retributions and wood industrial taxes.

The processed wood export furnishes great amount of foreign exchange (Figure 1). At the period of 1998-1999, the average of it was Rp. 12.1 billions, equals to 45.4% of total non-gasses and oil export. It was astonishment, regard to the Rp. 4,56 billions District Original Revenue (PAD) target. Moreover, most of the raw materials come from community forest.

However, state forest management has no significant role to the district nor the performance of the corporate (BUMN Perum Perhutani) is awful. Total non-teak wood production at 1999 was 15,955 m³ with the value Rp. 6.54 billions (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Wonosobo non-gasses and oil export

Figure 2. Perum Perhutani Forest Products

 Source: Wonosobo in Figure, 1999

Community Interest

There are 179 villages and 9 sub districts in Wonosobo districts. The population settles in the villages are 495,062 people equal to 66% of district total population. Due to this condition, community becomes one of the essential factors in the sustainable forest management. Then, economic and social factor identification shall be considered in forest management.

There must be a big change on institution and system of forest management to accommodate the dynamics of social and economics. It is time to transform the centralized economics oriented forest management to democratic and local based forest management to ensure sustainable forest management.

Mulistakeholders process on Decentralized Forest Management

Wonosobo forest stakeholders capture district autonomy as an entry point for dispute resolution. The process needs multistakeholders participation. FKKM Faswil Jawa Tengah especially conducts the process as illustrated below.

1. District Autonomy on Forest Management discourse development (February-July 2000). This process attempt to obtain resolution for the conflict related to the forest resources, disseminate autonomy publication, intensive dialogue with Regional Representative Council (DPRD) performed by ARuPA and Koling.

Output:

There will be a multi stakeholder dialogue to discuss the Wonosobo forest management conflicts.

2. Multi stakeholder Dialogue (August 2000)

The participants of Multi stakeholder dialogue made of local government, Regional Representative Council forest user group, NGOs, Universities, and Perum Perhutani.

Output:

a. There will be a multi stakeholder forum to control Wonosobo forest management. The development of the forum was assigned to the NGOs.

b. Promote local based forest management to accommodate forest user group interests. The initial process held by Wonosobo Regional Representative Council and NGOs.

1. Intensive discussion between Regional Representative Council and NGOs in the framework of initiate local policies draft on forest management (August-October 2000).

Output:

Local Policy draft on Community Forestry

2. Public Consultation I (January 2001)
Discuss the proposed Local Policy draft on Community Forestry. The participants of the forum are forestry experts (universities), forest user group, Regional Representative Council (DPRD), Press, and NGOs.

Output:

a. Perform ad hoc team made of stakeholder representatives to improve the policy draft.

b. Develop recommendations in term of sustainable forest management.

1. Ad Hoc Team Discussion (February 2001)

Output:

Activities time table, i.e.:

a. Collect data: potency and conflicts i.e. land occupation and forest plundering.

b. Campaign sustainable forest management and community forestry.

1. Public hearing on land occupation and forest plundering (February 2001)

Regional Representative Council facilitated this process. It invites multi stakeholder to identify the problem and carry the solutions on Wonosobo Forest Management.

Output:

Perform Coordination Forum on Forest area gazzetment and handle forest plundering, lead by The Wonosobo District Governor based on the District Governor Decree No. 522/200/2001. The members are:

a. Wonosobo District Government

b. Perum Perhutani

c. Wonosobo State Authorney Office

d. Wonosobo Police Resort

e. Forest User Group

f. Informal Leader

g. NGOs

h. Press

1. Campaign sustainable forest management and community based forest management (February 2001 – ……, weekly program)
This program perform talk show and feature show on forestry in corporate with local radio station in Wonosobo.

2. Dialogue FKPPPH (February – April 2001)

Output:

a. Declare moratorium in Wonosobo for 6 months since March 2001.

b. Develop program planning for conflict resolution towards community based forest management.

CONSTRAIN OF DECENTRALIZATION PROCESS ON FOREST MANAGEMENT

There are several big constrain in the process towards decentralization on forest management. The real constrain are:

a. There are inconsistence national inter departmental policies.

b. There are no sufficient, reliable, and up to date data

c. There is no mechanism authority and asset handed over from the central government to district government.

d. There is a reluctant of the central apparatus to implement forest management decentralization.

CLOSURE

Forest management decentralization towards democratic, equitable, and sustainable forest management is a long-term process. A comprehensive and participatory management planning is required. If the requirement is not fully accomplish, there will be a blunder forest management with the awful significant effect to the community surrounding the forest. The obstacles will always come in to the efforts for reaching the ultimate goal and become a good lesson for us, our offspring, and people all around the world.

Yogyakarta, April 2001

1. Paper Presented on Open Discussion "Strategies for Forest Resource Management in the Decentralised Era"

2. Advocacy Director of Voluntter Alliance for Saving the Nature (ARuPA)