Enviro News Asia, West Nusa Tenggara — The Minister of Forestry of Indonesia, Raja Juli Antoni, handed over six Social Forestry Management Approval Decrees (SK) to community groups in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The permits grant forest management access covering approximately 560.57 hectares to 411 households in East Lombok and West Lombok regencies.
Raja Juli Antoni stated that the handover reflects the government’s commitment to providing legal certainty and forest management access for communities living in and around forest areas through the Social Forestry program.
“Social Forestry is one of the National Strategic Projects linked to food security. I hope communities receiving this access can maximize the use of forest areas granted under their management rights,” the minister said.
He emphasized that strengthening Social Forestry programs will be directed more precisely to support poverty alleviation in communities surrounding forest areas. The Ministry of Forestry plans to align Social Forestry potential data with national poverty data to ensure the program better targets communities most in need.
“I have asked the Director General to overlay poverty data from the Ministry of Social Affairs with Social Forestry potential areas. This way, the program can truly become an economic driver for communities around forest areas,” he added.
During the event, the minister handed over six Social Forestry decrees to community groups in West Lombok and East Lombok, covering a total area of about 560.57 hectares for 411 households. The recipients include community institutions and forest farmer groups developing forest-based livelihoods such as trigona honey cultivation, agroforestry for food and fruit crops, and nature-based tourism.
Nationally, the Social Forestry program continues to show significant progress. According to data from the Ministry of Forestry system as of 7 March 2026, forest management access through the Social Forestry program has reached approximately 8.33 million hectares. The permits have been granted through more than 11,190 decrees benefiting around 1.42 million people across Indonesia.
This achievement reflects the growing role of local communities as strategic partners of the government in managing forests sustainably while improving livelihoods for people living around forest areas. (*)
