STRATEGIES OF COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT TO MANAGE PROTECTION FOREST SUSTAINABLY
ABSTRACT: The Indonesian Government
has empowered communities that are living adjacent to forests, but at the same
time, protection forests are highly encroached by the local community. In
response, our study aims at formulating strategies of community empowerment in
protection forest management. Data collection through participatory
observation, questionnaire surveys, interviews, and focused group discussions
were conducted in the surrounding communities of protected forest areas in
Sumbawa District, Indonesia. A combination of descriptive, participatory, and
explorative approaches were used for data analysis. The knowledge of local
communities on protection forest conservation was found to be on an average
level, while their attitudes towards conservation were assessed as being on a
higher level. Community empowerment programs implemented by the government were
shown to have no significant effect on knowledge improvement, but they were
more effective in changing the community's attitudes regarding protection
forest management. Local communities were shown to be willing to conduct
conservation activities as well as looking for cash income. Therefore, our
study suggested that community empowerment programs should link forest
conservation with income opportunities for local people, such as implementing
conservation agriculture (e.g. agroforestry), partnerships in the production
and sale of non-timber forest products, and be conducting clearly reward and
punishment for communities.
KEYWORDS: community
empowerment; protection forests; conservation; knowledge; attitude
Author: Fitta Setiajiati,
Hardjanto Hardjanto, Hendrayanto
Journal Code: jpkehutanangg170009
