Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Forestry is reviewing 14 locations totaling 50,984 hectares in the Papua and Kalimantan regions for designation as customary forests, according to a statement issued on Friday.
Yuli Prasetyo Nugroho, head of the ministry’s Sub-Directorate for the Determination of Customary Forests and Protection of Local Wisdom, said that the review includes areas in South Sorong (Southwest Papua), Sanggau (West Kalimantan), and West Kutai (East Kalimantan).
Baca juga: Ministry begins planting 5 hectares of mangroves in Bali
Julmansyah, director for Tenurial Conflict Resolution and Customary Forests, reported that between May and June, progress was made in designating 50,984 hectares as customary forest.
To date, 332,505 hectares of land have been designated as customary forests, benefiting 82,791 households.
Baca juga: RI Govt bolsters scrutiny of forest area use permit holders
Meanwhile, complete proposals covering 1,477,197 hectares are still awaiting approval, and incomplete proposals have been submitted for another 2,544,561 hectares.
To accelerate this process, the government formed a task force on May 9. The group held a meeting on July 1 involving stakeholders from government, academia, and civil society organizations working on indigenous peoples’ issues.
Julmansyah also reported on collaboration efforts with the Norwegian Embassy, UNDP, and the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH) to support the task force’s work.
