National broadcaster RRI (Radio Republik Indonesia) hosted a radio discussion on tenure reform from 19:30-20:00 on 11 November 2017, featuring researchers Tuti Herawati and Nining Liswanti from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

Listen to the broadcast here (in Bahasa Indonesia):

Broadcast through the regional station RRI Pro-1 FM Bandar Lampung, the discussion focused on the implementation of tenure reform with the aim to secure the rights of forest-adjacent communities in the province of Lampung, where the scientists are conducting research as part of CIFOR’s Global Comparative Study on Forest Tenure Reform (GCS-Tenure). The main avenue for implementation in the province has been through a government Social Forestry program, which was discussed in detail during the broadcast.

Also joining the discussion were Ir. Syaiful Bachri, MM, Head of the Lampung Forestry Office; Ir. Warsito, MM, from the Lampung Social Forestry Working Group and Ir. Edi Kariza from the non-governmental organization WATALA (Keluarga Pecinta Alam dan Lingkungan Hidup, or Friends for Nature and the Environment).

During the dialogue, Ir. Syaiful Bachri stated that Lampung is a pioneer in the implementation of Social Forestry programs in Indonesia, having secured the legal management of 184,000 hectares of forest by 110,000 families. He praised the scheme for encouraging cooperation between governments and communities, from governments granting legitimate forest management rights to communities, to communities helping the government in its aims to restore and conserve forests.

CIFOR scientist Tuti Herawati gave analysis from her research team’s results so far, saying there are indications that the Social Forestry program in Lampung had made positive impacts on community livelihoods, even providing the main source of income for some families. Ecologically, the scheme has also showed positive contributions to increasing the amount of forest cover, she said.

The rubber plantation is owned by Sudcam, a subsidiary of the world’s largest natural rubber company Halcyon Agri Corporation, with a China-based parent company Sinochem International.  According to a CIFOR report, Sudcam has come under scrutiny because the plantation expansion involves clearing of “some 40,000 hectares of natural forests” buffering a park with rich biodiversity and protected species. The report notes that while the project has the potential to create needed employment in the areas, many of the communities are not eligible for compensation for loss of customary land to the plantation as Cameroonian expropriation laws do not recognize customary rights. UNESCO authorities and Greenpeace have raised concerns over the project’s impacts on community rights and the Dja Wildlife reserve.

In December last year, Sadhguru was the chief guest at the Global Landscapes Forum, one of the foremost international ecological forums that is led by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), United Nations Environment, the World Bank and the Government of Germany. Here, Sadhguru discussed Rally for Rivers – A Global Movement, with Erik Solheim, Executive Director of United Nations Environment (UNEP), the leading environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda and promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development.

Penelitian Aksi Partisipatif CIFOR, Riak Bumi, OASE, UHO, Teras dan Samawa Center.

Sebuah lembaga nirlaba bersifat global bernama Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) mendorong negara-negara berkembang pengelolaan DAS terpadu. CIFOR berdedikasi untuk memajukan kesejahteraan umat manusia, pelestarian dan keadilan lingkungan. CIFOR bersama UHO, Yayasan Riak Bumi, OASE, Samawa Center, bersama-sama membantu pemerintah Kabupaten Sumbawa dengan melakukan penelitian yang memungkinkan pemerintah membuat keputusan berdasarkan kepada informasi yang benar dan berkeadilan tentang penggunaan dan pengelolaan hutan.

Mokhamad Edliadi/CIFOR

The annual World Bank’s Land and Poverty conference will present the latest research and practice on the diversity of reforms, interventions, and innovations in the land sector around the world. The 2018 conference theme is: Land Governance in an Interconnected World.

01-07: Boundary Demarcation and Territorial Governance
Location: MC 7-100
Conflict in Collective Formalization Processes: Opportunities for Transformation?
Anne Larson¹, Esther Mwangi², Iliana Monterroso¹, Nining Liswanti³, Tuti Herawati^3
1CIFOR, Peru; ²CIFOR, Kenya; ³CIFOR, Indonesia

01-10: Impact Evaluation of Land Registration
Location: MC 10-100
Does Tenure Reform Influence Household Food Security?
Nining Liswanti, Esther Mwangi, Michael Ndwiga, Tuti Herawati, Anne Larson, Iliana Monterosso (CIFOR)

Indeed, pilot programmes in dozens of countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa have, all too often, shortchanged local communities and underperformed as a bulkhead against climate change – their primary goal. “REDD+ is evolving in a context of rights abuses, displacement and dispossession, threats and harassment over territories, and the repression and assassination of environmental activists by state and private forces,” the non-profit Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) found in a 2017 review of academic literature. More than 200 environmental campaigners, nearly half from indigenous tribes, were murdered around the world in 2016 alone, according to watchdog Global Witness.