Answers to the Research Questions

Question 1: What is the substantial content of laws concerning ecological functions of forests and area management in Indonesia; and what are the implications of those laws concerning the study area?

The Forestry Law, the Spatial Planning Law, the Environmental Protection and Management, and the Conservation of Living Resource and their Ecosystem Law are expected a set of regulations that determine ecosystem structure, functions and integrity in Indonesia. All these laws have a similar commitment on to maintain and sustain the environment; however, there are some inconsistencies in terminology and classification of area (forest) functions.

For quite a number of issues and principles conformity between the Forestry Law and the Ecosystem Approach principles could be identified, as presented in Table 6.1. However, the forestry regulations also do still cover a number of weak points, concerning: a) The lack of some necessary provisions/mechanisms, particularly regarding adaptive management and ecosystem structure, functions and integrity issues; b) The Law is still a sectoral centric, emphasizing more on administrative compliance and a conservation strategy which is limited to protected areas; c) Disincentive mechanisms and internalization of environmental costs and benefits are not yet included.

The respective implications in the study area are: a) A lack of collaboration between forestry subdivisions and between sectors, for instance between production forest and conservation (case 3), forestry and infrastructure sector (case 5), forestry and city council (case 6), and forestry and agricultural areas (case 1); b) Appropriate representative units for forest management until lowest necessary level like Nature Conservation Agency at each province level (BKSDA) and Watershed Agency (BPDAS); c) Lack of integrated landscape ecology, inappropriate interventions related to wildlife management under production function (case 3) and protective forests functions (case 2b); d) Cooperation between farmers and Perhutani (case 4); e) Incentive schemes for private forest owners e.g. community-forest (case 4) and urban forest (case 6), but no disincentive scheme from benefiting to supporting areas of forest functions (case 5) , and no internalization of environmental costs and benefits in urban areas (case 6).

Question 2: What responsibilities have been taken by the forestry sector to improve ecological functions of forests concerning the site of study?

Applied to forest management, the EsA principles call for the responsibilities and strategy which should be followed to provide integrated management of land, water and living forest resources and promote conservation and sustainable use. Referring to the Table 6.1 the forestry sector has taken a wide range of responsibilities for forest functions and has specified adequate measures to improve them. However, a greater number of 14 issues related to the principles 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 12 was found to just ‘partly conform’, since the respective principles and values in the forest management system are still not fully established; finally another 14 issues concerning principles 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 were found ‘not to conform’; demonstrating that the forestry sector still misses considerations to the related principles, namely principle 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Issues mentioned as ‘conform’ and ‘partly conform’ to the EsA principles, were mostly related to administrative compliances, for instance designation and management representative to the lowest necessary level; while ‘not conform’ matters were related to biological diversity conservation, adaptive management as well as integrated conservation strategy and its implementation.

Question 3: What consequences will be taken if EsA principles will be applied by the forestry sector including collaboration with other development sectors and local communities?

To aim at sustainability of ecological functions, the full set of EsA principles should be considered. The respective EsA principles in column ‘partly conform’ and ‘not conform’

should become the first matters for review and revise of the current inappropriate policies and integrate those in the management system.

The biggest challenge is to implement the ecosystem approach in areas where no larger natural forest patches are left and connectivity has been lost due to high population density. High proportion of right-land ownership as well as development policies that are still sector oriented or limited to economic interests do hamper this implementation further .

Concerning collaboration with other development sectors, the internal challenge for the forestry sector is to prepare a set of adequate provisions for all other types of ecosystems to be enriched by forests and their possible forest functions as an alternative; and to develop all possible forms of cooperation and collaboration with other sectors to support integrated management.

Regarding sectoral development and economic interests, a full economic valuation of forest ecosystem services should be developed in order to create adequate incentive-disincentive mechanisms and promote internalization of environmental costs and benefits.

Question 4: How EsA will preserve the quality of existing forests, preserve biodiversity, enhance the forest landscape, and improve the environment quality for human well being?

The SWOT Analysis Table 6.2 can be used to develop scenarios: The existing elements which are the strengths of the forestry sector must be maintained and improved for example commitment to apply ecosystem approach, established organization structure until to lowest necessary level, reforestation programs, involving local people and established incentive mechanisms. The current existing values supporting the environment should be maintained as well such as the good traditional agro-forestry practices.

Opportunities for improvements can be acquired from the related existing laws/guidance, for example Forestry Law, Spatial Planning Law, Environmental Protection and Management Law and IBSAB (Indonesia Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan), and Regional Government Law. The laws call for sustainability, a better environment management planning (ecoregion as a basis for inventarization), a minimum forest cover, reforestation and integrated management for all kind of development issues. Therefore intersectoral collaboration is more visible. It implies extended responsibility of the forestry sector.

However, forestry sector still faces some internal constrains, for example inconsistency and inadequate set of regulations, sector oriented, incompetence in outside designated areas, lack of adaptive management, inappropriate conservation strategy - disregarding landscape scale, less consider local variability and avert disincentive mechanisms and internalization of environmental costs and benefits.

The great challenge for the forestry sector deals with the only small natural forest patches left with connectivity lost, the increasing population density might lead to further land use changing to non forest, landscape degradation and (other) sector centric policies. Large area is owned by private. It can be meant high compensation/incentive cost. So far, disincentive mechanisms and internalization of environmental costs and benefits are not taken into account, it can cause an ineffectiveness of environment programs including forestry programs.