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1.1.1 Forest Classification
Most of the forests in Indonesia are designated as state forests and managed by the
government. As mentioned above, the Indonesian government has the right and
responsibility to control its natural resources for the general good of the Indonesian people. They also have the authority to plan and regulate all forest tenure and to use
arrangement in its jurisdiction. The authority to manage the forest areas has resulted in the division of forest area
functions based on consensus TGHK. The consensus is made among the government institutions that have a relation to the forest areas or its management, such as the Forestry
Department, Transmigration and Resettlement Department, Agriculture Department, local government, and so on. The forest classifications based on consensus are named
production forests, protection forests, and conservation forests.
1.1.1.1 Production Forest
These forest areas are set aside mainly for timber production, and managed by private logging concessions and state-delivered concessions. Some limited types of non-
timber production are also harvested in this area. Production forest is divided into three specific functions: 1 regular production forest that can produce timber optimally; 2
limited production forest that can only harvest the timber at a certain amount due to its environmental and social considerations; and 3 production forest that is available to be
converted to other land uses. This area is set aside specifically based on its environmental and location considerations in order to be converted to other land uses in
the future.
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1.1.1.2 Protected Forests
This is the forest area that is managed by the government. The area is specifically assigned to protect the unique wildlife and local habitat. This area is usually assigned for
the endangered species of animals or plants and their habitat.
1.1.1.3 Conservation Forest
This is the area managed by the government that is more flexible than protection forest. The conservation forest can mix the function with the local development at its
boundary or in a special assigned area. The local development involves things such as tourism, broad scale research and community development. National park areas are one
of the classifications. Unfortunately, Dermawan and Resosudarmo 2002 reported that much of the
classification was made on an ad hoc basis. Not only without due consideration to ecological functions of the forest but also with little regard to the social, cultural, and
economic functions of the community. As a result, most of the forest area classification borders often create friction between the government, private companies and indigenous
people. The division of the forest areas is based on the consensus forest functions presented in table 1.1.
Table 1.1 Current Forest Classifications in Indonesia
FOREST FUNCTION TOTAL Million Hectares
Production forest 41.2
Protection Forest 12.5
Conservation forest 17.4
Total forest area 76.7
Source: Kartodihardjo 2002.
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1.1.2 Sustainable Forest Management