The Government of Indonesia has reaffirmed that Social Forestry is a strategic instrument for community-based sustainable peatland management and a key pillar in achieving national climate change mitigation targets. The statement was delivered by Bambang Supriyanto, representing the Director General of Social Forestry, during the International Workshop titled “Guardians of the Peatlands: Strengthening Social Forestry and Enhancing the Role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Sustainable Peatland Management” held in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
In his presentation, Bambang emphasized that Social Forestry functions not only as a forest management scheme but also as a sustainable development approach that integrates community welfare, environmental protection, and the strengthening of local governance.
“Social Forestry is a community-led sustainable forest management system involving local communities and Indigenous Peoples, aimed at improving livelihoods, maintaining environmental balance, and supporting socio-cultural dynamics,” Bambang stated.
He revealed that to date, 8.3 million hectares have been designated as Social Forestry areas out of the national target of 12.7 million hectares, directly benefiting 1.4 million households. Of this total, 170 customary forests cover 366,000 hectares, supporting the livelihoods of approximately 90,000 families. Economically, the program has facilitated community business transactions valued at IDR 5.16 trillion and strengthened food and energy security in more than 3,000 villages.
Bambang further highlighted the strategic role of peatlands in global climate change mitigation, noting that peat ecosystems store approximately 30 percent of the world’s soil carbon reserves. In Indonesia alone, peatlands cover around 24 million hectares, with an estimated carbon stock of 57 billion tons of CO₂.
“Peatland degradation, particularly due to fires and drainage, is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, peatland management that actively involves communities is essential for sustainability,” he stressed.
According to Bambang, through the Social Forestry scheme, more than 608,000 hectares of peatland ecosystems are currently managed sustainably by local and Indigenous communities. Each community group is required to develop a Social Forestry Management Plan to guide institutional strengthening, forest utilization, enterprise development, and environmental monitoring.
Beyond conservation, Bambang underscored the importance of agroforestry and paludiculture as peat-friendly economic approaches. These models enable the production of food, energy, and non-timber forest products without compromising peatland ecological functions.
“The forest-positive bioeconomy approach places economic success not on resource exploitation, but on improving the quality and resilience of forest ecosystems themselves,” he explained.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Forestry is currently developing community-based peatland management demonstration plots in several provinces, including Riau, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan, in collaboration with the International Tropical Peatland Center (ITPC). Through this international cooperation, Indonesia also shares best practices in peatland management with countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Peru, and the Republic of the Congo.
“With equitable and sustainable peatland management, communities are not merely beneficiaries, but become the primary guardians of ecosystems that are strategic for the future of the global climate,” Bambang concluded.
Closing his remarks, Bambang expressed hope that the international forum would generate innovations, alternative technologies, and cross-country collaborations to further strengthen the role of communities in safeguarding the world’s peatlands.
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