s:2670:"TI Progress toward increasing the role local people play in forest lands management in Indonesia 
AU Fay, C.C. 
AU de, Foresta.H. 
AB This paper reviews current governmental and non-governmental efforts in Indonesia 
to increase the role local people officially play
 in the management of natural resources inside 
the seventy percent of Indonesia defined by the 
government as State Forest Zone.  It provides 
a broad brush description of the dichotomy 
between local natural resource management 
systems and the government regulatory framework that favors industrial forestry 
management. It then goes into greater depth 
on the characteristics of some of the many 
indigenous agroforestry systems found in Indone
sia and describes a successful effort to gain 
formal government incorporation of one these systems into the state regulatory framework.  
             There are essentially two approaches in Indonesia to increasing the forest 
management role of local people. The first ce
nters on “raising the participation of local 
communities in the management of forest lands”.  This is current government policy and 
programs to achieve this are being implemented 
by the Department of Forestry. The second  
promoted by local communities university re
searchers and NGOs centers on policy change 
that shifts the emphasis to Department of Fo
restry recognition that existing community-based 
natural resource manage
ment systems are the most effective starting point and that land and 
resource access rights of local people must be secured if community-based forestry is to 
broadly develop in Indonesia. 
             The Government priority of increasing 
participation is based upon two important 
assumptions. The first is that local people are the primary cause of forest degradation or full 
forest conversion to agriculture. Therefore any 
attempt to work with farmers must center on 
imposing a new land-use system. The second assumption is that these people have no rights to 
be on state land at all whether or not their 
ancestors had been on the land long before the 
existence of the Indonesian state. As a result in some areas of Indonesia the government’s 
approach to dealing with people living in the forest zone continues to be intimidation and 
eviction.  
             Yet a subtle although still incomplete sh
ift in the government’s approach is taking 
place. The Department of Forestry policy no long
er treats local people in the forest zone as 
liabilities alone. They are now seen as liab
ilities that must and can become assets in 
government efforts to increase timber producti
on and rehabilitate degraded forest lands 
";