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Page 1: Stories from the conservationists
Page 2: Stories from the conservationists
Page 3: Stories from the conservationists
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Contents

Part One Forest and Watershed Conservation in Indonesia .......................... 1

Part Two The Intervention of SCBFWM Project Background of SCBFWM Project ............................................................................. 7Stakeholders in Watershed Management ............................................................ 10Coordination with the Ministry of Forestry ............................................................. 13Support from UNDP Indonesia ................................................................................ 14Progress of SCBFWM up until 2013 .......................................................................... 15

Part Three Prosperous Community, Conserved Environment Lessons learned from Miu Subwatershed, Sigi District, Central Sulawesi ... 17Watershed Conservation to Prevent Disaster ....................................................... 20Kelompok CINta LINgKUNgaN: Based on trust ................................................... 23“We are not a Flock of Pigeon” ............................................................................. 27Field Facilitator Experience in Motivating the Community ................................ 29

Part Four Independent and Capable Community Lessons learned from Way Besai Subwatershed, West Lampung .............................. 37KWt Melati tribudi Syukur: a CBO with total revenue of Rp1.3 billion ................ 40HKM Centre: Information and Intersectorial Learning Centre ............................ 43Protect the Water, Protect Our Life ....................................................................... 46Synergizing in maintaining enviromental service of clean water ...................... 49“With a fishpond, we can donate more” ............................................................. 50

Part five The community’s vision decides the nature’s well-being Lessons learned from Tulis subwatershed in Banjarnegara and Wonosobo 53Long-term vision in Watershed Management ...................................................... 56From potatoes to purwaceng ............................................................................... 58Enjoying Food, Water, and Energy Security .......................................................... 60

Part Six SCBFWM as A Seed for Empowering the Community Lessons learned from Besiam Subwatershed Nusa Tenggara Timur ........... 65“Visit Nusa tenggara timur” .................................................................................... 68CBO tunas Muda: Collaborating in Upperwatershed Conservation ................ 70CBO tunas Baru: Planting and keep on planting................................................. 72“Sir, Ma’am, please don’t go yet” ......................................................................... 75

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Part Seven United in Watershed Conservation Lessons learned from Jangkok Subwatershed, Nusa Tenggara Barat .............................. 85KWt Seruni: Saving the Environment with Recycling ............................................ 88“Even Monkeys Come Now” .................................................................................. 92“Having been guided by SCBFWM, we could realize our dream” .................... 94“they were afraid of the government, but not anymore” ................................. 96

Part Eight Save Watershed, Save Natural Resources Lessons learned from Gopgopan Subwatershed, North Sumatra ...................................... 101“Our income increased 50-60%” ............................................................................ 103Pea Nauli: the Savior of Lake toba ........................................................................ 105

CLOSING ......................................................................................................................... 109

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Part OneForest and Watershed Conservation

in Indonesia

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Indonesia comprises of 188 million hectares of land. Stretching from Aceh to Papua, Indonesian topography is a combination of plains, plateaus, hills, and mountains. That is due to Indonesia geographic location, lying in the meeting point of two young fold mountains, circum-Pacific belt and circum-Mediterranean belt.

Those two belts are characterized with many active volcanoes and tertiary hills that are rich with minerals like crude oil, coal, and bauxite. Hills and volcanic region area are also very fertile. On top of that, the lands are covered with forests with great biodiversity and abundant precious minerals prone to be exploited.

Of the 188 million hectares, 132,667 million hectares are classified as forest area. The forest area comprises of conservation forest areas (10.49% of the land coverage), protected forest areas (15.90%), production forest (44.10%), and non-forest areas or other land uses (29.49%) (BAPLAN).

Information from the Ministry of Forestry indicate that forest loss and degradation are steadily occurring in the conversion forest for the development of other sectors, i.e. agricultural, plantation, mining, and estate. Protection forests are also damaged.

The Ministry of Forestry’s official figures published at the National Forest Monitoring System event in October 2012 show that Indonesia yearly deforestation rate in has reached 1,125 million hectares a year from 2000 to 2006.

Sumatra and Kalimantan recorded the highest deforestation rate, followed by Sulawesi, Papua, Java, and Bali/Nusa Tenggara.

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On the other hand, regarding land degradation, the total degraded land area taken from the RLPS report (2006) is approximately 30 million hectares comprising of degraded land inside forest area (19.5 million hectares) and outside forest area (10.7 million hectares), including the degradation inside mangrove forest.

These degraded lands are mostly located on the islands of Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Central Sulawesi, and parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Most critically threatened forest areas are located on Java and Nusa Tenggara.

In recent decades, the clearing of forest, especially for industrial crops, combined with periodic droughts has created havoc with forest fires occurring on an almost annual basis across Indonesia, with particularly frequent events in Kalimantan and Sumatra.

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Whilst forests can contribute significantly to local, national, and global environmental benefits, human activities that cause forest damage – such as man made fires – can also contribute toward ecosystem damage and air pollution with impacts affecting neighboring countries.

If forests and land are degraded, biodiversity will also suffer. Although Indonesia comprises only 1.3 percent of the earth’s land surface, it harbors a disproportionately high share of its biodiversity. It includes 11 percent of the world’s plant species, 10 percent of its mammal species, and 16 percent of its bird species.

The country’s three main centers of species richness are found in Irian Jaya (with its high species richness and endemism), Kalimantan (with its high species richness, moderate endemism), and Sulawesi (with has moderate species richness and high endemism).

Those geological conditions bring not only so many potentials but also threats for watersheds.

Watershed is defined as land region near river that is stretched until a ridge. This region is a water catchment region and a place for the rains to flow to the river. If this region is damaged, natural disaster and economic loss will be inevitable.

The New Order regime (1966-1998) has pushed economic development at the forefront, thus allowing commercial companies to access the country’s forest areas that have high economic benefits freely.

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This policy resulted in timber companies who held Forest Management Permit (HPH) overexploited Indonesia’s forest resources. Thus, making forest areas designated as production forest been rapidly deforested and degraded.

Protected forests and other forest conservation areas have also became the main targets for illegal logging activities or other activities contributed in deforestation like shifting cultivation practice.

The common perception is that the disturbance to forested lands mostly comes from the surrounding local communities. This is not necessarily true.

Many local communities living inside and in the surrounding protected forests or conservation areas have in fact been managing these areas sustainably. This even happened long before the government declared the area as protected or conservation areas.

According to the government regulations on forest area classification, local communities have limited access to the natural resources inside the forest. At the same time, they have limited access to job opportunities at both state and private forest management and timber companies. Therefore, the communities lived around forest areas has yet been able to improve their economic condition.

These two factors create an infinite loop between poverty and forest and land degradation in watersheds.

The community needs natural resources from the forest to fulfill their daily needs, but if they are not guided or trained, this could lead to forest degradation. Environmental degradation becomes a determinant of poverty (Noordwijk, 2005, in Suyanto et.al. 2006).

Due to population growth rate, a household living around forest area may have access to less than 0.25 ha for agricultural production. This area of land is not enough to support their livelihoods.

Approximately 20 million people live around forest area, and 30% of them are highly dependent on forest

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resources. Despite a high dependence on forest resources, farming is the main activity in most forest-edge communities.

Crops cultivated by the communities varies, for example, coffee and honey-bees in Lampung, bananas, jackfruits, and vegetables in NTB, jackfruit, orange, and black and white pepper in West Kalimantan, corns and potatoes in NTT, tobacco, paddy, and dog fruit (Parkia speciosa) in East Java, etc.

The communities also develop a home industry and post-harvest handicraft such as anyaman, snacks, dodol, rengginang, casava chips, and tenun ikat handicraft.

Using agroforestry system, the communities filled their backyards and gardens with various species of trees having different canopy characteristics. This help reducing land erosion.

These activities, in fact do not damage the forest area per se in that they maintain the soil and the plant species. However, without any guidance and proper approach, forest and land degradation in watersheds could continue occurring due to expansion and land conversion for agricultural practices.

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Part TwoThe Intervention of SCBFWM Project

Background of SCBFWM Project

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Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world. Currently, Indonesia has a population of over 247 million, demographically distributed across 33 provinces. The population growth in Indonesia is calculated to be around 1.5%.

In provinces with vast forest area, population growth rates are higher. However, this population growth rate is not in line with the economic growth rate. This triggers forest and land degradation throughout Indonesia.

Previous experience in Indonesia has shown that conservation objectives could not be achieved if attention is not simultaneously given towards the development and empowerment of communities living around and inside forest area. Even in the provinces with vast forest area, the poverty level is still higher than the national average.

Inequitable distribution of benefits from forest resources and a lack of coordination among the stakeholders and related sectors are identified as major underlying causes of forest and land degradation.

Strengthening Community Based Forest and Watershed Management (SCBFWM) project comes to bridge this gap.

SCBFWM project is implemented by Directorate General of Watershed Management and Social Forestry Development (BPDASPS),

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the Ministry of Forestry with grant from Global Environment Facility (GEF) facilitated by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Indonesia.

SCBFWM project document is signed in October 20th, 2009 and registered to the Ministry of Forestry in January 2010. Field operation began effectively in March 2010.

GEF provided a US$7 million grant (US$5,474,974 for the programme and US$1,525,027 for the administration and monitoring and evaluation) with accompanying fund from the Government of Indonesia ($41 million), ICRAF (US$750,000), UNDP ($500,000) and Ford Foundation (US$200,000).

This project is specially designed to fulfill the commitment of the Government of Indonesia for 5 years with the total amount of US$300 million to rehabilitate degraded forest and land distributed across 282 priority watersheds in 400 districts (32 provinces), and the commitment that is approved every year – from the reforestation fund – to reforest districts.

The support from various agencies is very important because according to the common scenario or in other words the usual business (in case of no SCBFWM project); the government will only provides US$33.51 million for community based forest and watershed management.

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SCBFWM project chooses six watershed locations based on theirs socio-economic and land conditions. They are Dodokan watershed, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Besiam subwatershed, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Way Besai subwatershed, West Lampung, Tulis Hulu subwatershed in Banjarnegara and Wonosobo, Miu subwatershed in Palu-Poso, Central Sulawesi, and Gopgopan Subwatershed in Lake Toba Water Cathment Area, North Sumatra.

Those six watershed locations are chosen based on the characteristics of the community living around and inside the watershed. They are also chosen because they have a globally great biodiversity potential and in the midst of various threats of forest and land degradation.

SCBFWM project is implemented in those pilot areas to look for solutions for these problems.

Stakeholders in Watershed ManagementSCBFWM recognizes that community groups, customary community, farmer groups, and women

groups are key stakeholders at the selected sites. Unfortunately, there has been lack of policies that benefit poor community groups and little attention has been given to local communities in terms of ways to fulfil their daily needs.

This project will strive to empower the community by increasing their awareness regarding the danger of land degradation and biodiversity damage in watershed ecosystem that will directly affect their sustainable livelihood.

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The community should get information regarding their rights so that they could participate in policymaking and be responsible in the process and result of their doing.

They should also be made aware in that both the government and private sectors in facilitating this process legally recognize their rights. However, rights-based approach might not be sufficient. Stakeholders should always be supported and their capability should be improved so that they could demand and defend themselves from actors that are more powerful by giving the stakeholders a clear constitutional assurance and legal support through special regulatory laws.

SCBFWM project advocates stakeholders to participate in policymaking. This project encourages related organizations to work together to contribute towards government policy, aiming at sustainable forest and watershed management and poverty eradication. Strengthening Community Based Forest and Watershed Management (SCBFWM) program designed to enhance and scale-up the Government of Indonesia’s programs on community-based forest and watershed management, by addressing inequitable distribution of benefits from forest resources and lack of coordination among stakeholders and sectors, as major underlying causes of land and forest degradation.

Land degradation in Indonesia is characterized by processes such as deforestation, soil erosion, and increased aridity. These result from processes such as unsustainable legal and illegal logging, forest fires, and conflicts of land and resource tenure, illegal entry and conversion of natural forest as well as illegal mining.

Up until now, forestry policy in Indonesia is mostly made by government institutions or agencies related with forestry. At the national level, Ministry of Forestry and at the regional level, Forestry and Agriculture Service have the legal power to make policy as well as national and regional programmes.

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At the regional level, that policy will be much influenced by local budgeting system. In many instances, conflicts of forestry policy arouse because of different priorities between the national and regional level.

This conflict could occur among several sectors, such as forestry and non-forestry sectors, and it could be seen in several locations. Lack of coordination among and between different levels of government would continue to pose a barrier to effective implementation of SCBFWM. Incomplete or weak legal and policy frameworks would continue to hamper replication and scaling-up of SCBFWM programmes.

Therefore, Directorate of Planning and Evaluation of Watershed Management and Ministry of Forestry execute this project on behalf of the Government of Indonesia under the modality of National Implementation from UNDP.

In implementing the aforementioned mandate, the Directorate of Watershed Management works closely with the Directorate General of Forest Planning that carries out the forest coverage identification and forest area mapping as inputs for sustainable forest management.

The Forestry Research and Development Agency (FORDA) takes the biodiversity and ecology consideration of integrated watershed management in a landscape context. The Ministry of Forestry also collaborates with the National Survey and Mapping Coordinating Agency (Bakosurtanal) to know the general natural resources database.

Directorate of Watershed Management is responsible for ensuring active cooperation of, and coordination with, the relevant stakeholders, and for ensuring that all activities are executed accordingly and as per the approved Project Document and in line with the UNDP’s rules and regulations on project management, financial management and procurement policies, as stated in the Project Implementation Guidelines (PIMG).

Parties (stakeholders) that have developed CBFWM initiatives, including local communities, need to have security in continuing their efforts.

Supportive legal and policy instruments at the government level, starting from village to provincial level are significant keys that can provide security, including tenurial security.

The case of forest farmers in West Nusa Tenggara can be taken as an example. They have been participating in a pilot project of government-sponsored community forestry program for a number of years where they are allowed to manage state-owned forest area. However, these farmers do not feel

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secure, as they did not receive HKm permit. They had additional problem as the forest area where they work has been proposed as grand forest park by local government. Legal implication of this proposal is that the forest farmers would no longer be allowed to work in the area.

National legal and policy instruments that support local governments in establishing local legal and policy instruments in SCBFWM are highly needed. By having such instruments, local governments would be more active in strengthening and developing SCBFWM.

Coordination with the Ministry of ForestryDirectorate General of BPDASPS

of the Ministry of Forestry as the executing agency of this project acts as coordinating agency with government organizations and non-government organizations to ensure the implementation of SCBFWM project.

Watershed Management Centre (BPDAS) is the technical executing unit of the Directorate General of Watershed Management and Social Forestry Development, and it will be involved mainly in facilitation of coordination of project implementation at district and provincial levels. Institution in provincial

government level such as Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA), Provincial Forestry and Agriculture Service, and others will be facilitated by BPDAS from time to time.

In the meantime, in regent level, the Regent/Bupati, BAPPEDA, District Forestry and Agriculture Services and other related institutions including “watershed fora” are actively involved in the planning and implementing of the project.

This mechanism synergizes the activities among sectors as well as their parallel funding in the project site to achieve some of specific project outputs and outcomes.

As a nationally implemented project, BPDAS role in SCBFWM is the executing hand of the Directorate of Planning and Evaluation of Watershed Management, Directorate General of BPDASPS, Ministry of Forestry, that closely guides the implementation of the project activities at the district level along with the local governments. The Ministry of Forestry manages all funding expenditure.

“Lembaga Adat” or customary communities as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are also given important roles to support the project. Local communities play an important role in a

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participatory or community based approaches in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Project.

Support from UNDP IndonesiaSupports from UNDP cover the

operational, administrative and substantive matters. The administrative and operational matters may include recruitment of human resources including international procurement for certain products and services upon request from the implementing partners, monitoring and evaluation of certain themes, and mainstreaming, for example gender equality and human rights based approach.

If needed, UNDP Indonesia will act as a catalyst and facilitator for the beneficiaries

(Community Based Organizations and certain households) and a bridge between the National level fora and Sub-District level actions.

UNDP Indonesia also accelerates coordination and learning through community based initiatives under the coordination of UNDP such as the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Project, UN Joint Initiative in NTT, Aceh and Papua, UN REDD that will focus in Central Sulawesi as its pilot site, Civil Society Organization Project by Conflict Prevention and Resolution Unit, Papua Development Project by Poverty Reduction Unit and Access to Justice Project by Governance Unit.

Ministry of Forestry holding the national mandate for UNCCD is responsible for assessment and application of SCBFWM project. This is in line with the “National Report: Combating Land Degradation in Indonesia, Progress report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), April 2002”, which among others stipulated that the National Focal Points are the Directorate General of Watershed Management and Social Forestry Development, and Director of Foreign Cooperation Bureau.

Directorate of Planning and Evaluation of Watershed Management is responsible for the preparation of policy formulation, standardization, technical guidance and evaluation in the field of watershed management. This is reflected in the Natural Resources Rehabilitation and Restoration Programme and Sustainable Utilization Programme of Natural Resources of the Long Term National Development Plan (RPJP 2005 – 2025) and the Mid-Term Development Planning (RPJM 2004 – 2009) as well as the coming Mid-Term Development Planning (RPJM 2010 - 2014).

As the implementing agency, Ministry of Forestry appoints a National Project Director who ensures the delivery of the project outputs and the use of project resources. This ensures that the expected project outputs are achieved using the most efficient and cost effective implementation strategies, procedures, resources.

Project management is led by the National Project Manager, supported by a team of technical and operational staff based in the Ministry of Forestry. Facilities and operational support for the project team is provided by the Ministry of Forestry as part of its in-kind support to the project.

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A Project Board is established and comprises of the representatives of the project stakeholders (such as Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Public Work, Ministry of Agriculture, BAPPENAS, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Home Affairs), Ministry of Forestry, UNDP, ICRAF and Ford Foundation. The Project Board plays the role of an advisory committee where the National Project Director will serve as the Executive of the Project Board.

UNDP together with the UNDP-GEF (Global Environment Facility) Regional Technical Advisor for Land Degradation and Biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific region will carry out the GEF oversight as a form of project assurance.

UNDP is responsible for monitoring and evaluation (M&E), including organizing project reviews, project audits, approving annual implementation work plans and budget revisions, monitoring progress, identifying problems, suggesting actions to improve project performance, facilitating timely delivery of project inputs, and provide linkages to the other sub-regional, Asia-Pacific regional and global initiatives.

Progress of SCBFWM up until 2013Until March 2013, SCBFWM programmes have successfully empowered 136 Community Based

Organizations (CBOs) in six watersheds and subwatersheds in Indonesia. Those 136 CBOs have become part of Watershed Conservationist Network in six watershed and subwatershed SCBFWM-implemented sites.

Since 2010, as much as 1,659 CBO members have been given training by SCBFWM, starting from developing a nursery, mapping, bookkeeping, reporting, to administration. Their skills theoretically and practically have been improved, helping other members to implement the programme with the set standards. Their bookkeeping and reports are neatly done. The location is meticulously mapped making site identification easier.

Many CBO members are never trained like this before so the benefits of the empowerment by SCBFWM could be truly felt by the community.

Along with the training given to CBO members, 718 government officials from various Local Government Institution (SKPD) have also received at least 13 kinds of training in order to ensure the sustainability of coordination and support towards SCBFWM programme in the future.

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SCBFWM goal to control forest and land degradation is proven by the success of 70 CBOs guided by SCBFWM in 2013 to plant more than 485,650 tree seedlings in an area of 1,214 hectares. Besides controlling forest and land degradation, the success of improving the communities’ economic condition is one of the stand out result of this programme.

Testimonies from related stakeholders, i n c l u d i n g C B O s m e m b e r s a n d administrators, regional facilitators, field facilitators, as well as Local Government Institution (SKPD) confirm further the success of SCBFWM programme. Stories of SCBFWM best practices along with the successful testimonies of this programme will be provided in the next part.

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Part ThreeProsperous Community, Conserved

Environment Lessons learned from Miu Subwatershed, Sigi District, Central Sulawesi

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The community living in Palu Watershed, including Miu Subwatershed, come from different races and ethnic groups. They still apply customary laws in various aspects of their life, including natural resources management.

The community living in Palu watershed manage the natural resources by applying indigenous knowledge. However, since many people come from the neighboring regions, the community adopt commercial agriculture practice.

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Cocoa beans are the dominant agricultural commodity, while other commodities include coffee and coconut. Commercial agriculture practice has attracted big farmers (most of them come from South Sulawesi) to buy and take over productive lands from native farmers.

The problem arouse when native farmers began to realize the economic value of their lands. They began to convert forest areas into new agriculture lands.

In addition, in Palu watershed there is Lore Lindu National Park (TNLR), confirming further an important ecological role this watershed plays. UNESCO appointed TNLR as a Biosphere Reserve in 1977. Degradation occurs because of forest conversion into agriculture land.

This intensive agriculture practice has made a significant impact towards the environment. The protected area keeps being damaged due to encroachment and bad farming practices, leading to the loss of biodiversity.

After SCBFWM came, community’s initiative to save the environment started developing. The community also has the initiative to prevent natural disaster. The experience in Omu Village has shown a great coordination and close relationship between CBO and the local government in responding to disaster.

Community’s passion to save the environment also came from and it is supported by customary figures. Karim

Mangadasi, the leader of customary assembly of Simoro Village, said that with the help of SCBFWM project, currently a regulation regarding customary institution has been established, covering various aspects of their life including environment and forestry matters. “Members of the community will be fined if they damage the forest. If one cuts down a tree with a diameter of 50 cm, that person will be fined Rp500,000 (US$41) and s/he will have to plant 10 trees replacing the tree s/he cut down,” he said.

CBO also expressed their determination to become independent. Aris Pasasa, the leader of CBO Silva Sukamaju said his group was established in 2001, but they have only been a strong group since 2010 when SCBFWM came. “From 2001 to 2010 people said we were a flock of pigeon because we only came when there was an aid or food given.”

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Today CBO Silva Sukamaju is nothing like a flock of pigeon. They already have business activities built up from their own money and a small grant from SCBFWM. Those business activities include agricultural production equipment shop and agroforestry business that is planting white teak (gemelina) trees on the community members’ field.

According to Samuel Y. Pongi, SE. M.Si., Head of Finance Division, BAPPEDA of Sigi District, the community empowerment done by SCBFWM is proved. “The community feels that they

own this programme. This is a direct testimony from the leader of CBO and the village chief. Only by giving them stimulus, they are willing to spend their money and energy. It is hoped that this programme does not stop in Miu but is replicated in other watersheds,” he said.

Watershed Conservation to Prevent DisasterSaturday, August 18th, 2012, was an unforgettable day for the community living surrounding

Saluki River, Miu Subwatershed, Palu Watershed, Omu Village, Gumbasa Sub-District, Sigi District, Central Sulawesi.

A day before Eid Al-Fitr, a strong earthquake hit the area. The river dried out. For 12 hours, there was no water flowing in the river even though it was raining. People began to worry.

Administrators and members of Community Based Organization (CBO) Silva Sukamaju of Omu village had an initiative to check the upperwatershed of Saluki River. They were right. Because of the earthquake, there was a landslide blocking Saluki River. Big trees fell to the river. They found dammed water with the length of 200 meters, width of 10 to 15 meters, and height of 10 to 15 meters.

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Er u s Ru s y a d i , Re g i o n a l Facilitator of SCBFWM project became the first person that was called by the administrator of CBO Silva Sukamaju. Erus immediately called the Head of Regional Office of Watershed Management (BPDAS), coordinating with Lore Lindu National Park, Environment Agency (BLH), and BAPPEDA. Finally, it was agreed that representatives of the community including the chief of Omu Village, the leader of CBO Silva Sukamaju of Omu, BLH Sigi

and National Park came to Sigi regent bringing evidences in the form of photos and videos taken by members and administrators of CBO Silva Sukamaju.

Since it had to take a long time and required CBO members to stay the night at the disaster site, CBO members of Omu village were allowed to remove the blockade slowly.

Aids in the form of fund and energy kept coming until the blockade was successfully removed. Flash flood and casualties could be avoided, and a coordination among several parties was established.

Saluki River is a part of Miu Subwatershed. Without quick respond, that landslide could lead to a massive flood. “Omu Village

would be swept by the flood. The bridge connecting Saluwa and Kulaei could be destroyed due to the flood, causing major economic loss,”

This was what happened in Saluwa Village a year ago in December 3rd, 2011. Because of slow respond, the village was flooded and suffered an Rp12 billion loss. As in the case of Saluki Village, the local government was greatly helped by the initiative taken by CBO.

Silva Sukamaju is only one of the 11 CBOs developed by SCBFWM project in Sigi District, Central Sulawesi. SCBFWM project site is at upper Palu watershed that partially within the area of Lore Lindu National Park that has a very important ecological function as UNESCO appointed it in 1977 as Biosphere Reserve.

Land degradation due to forest conversion into agriculture lands is the major problem in this area. Intensive agricultural practice has brought significant damaged to the environment. The protected

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area keep being damaged due to encroachment and bad farming practices, leading to the loss of biodiversity.

SCBFWM programme came to this area to guide the community, listening to their aspiration before creating a programme that could not only controlling forest and land degradation but also to improve the community’s economic condition.

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Kelompok CINta LINgKUNgaN: Based on trustOne of the groups that has successfully utilized the benefit gained from SCBFWM project is

CBO Kelompok Cinta Lingkungan (Green Community) in Simoro Village, Gumbasa Sub-District, Sigi District, Central Sulawesi.

Kelompok Cinta Lingkungan (KCL) was established in 2004. The founder was Karim Mangadasi who was at that time, the chief of Simoro Village. “In 2004, there was a massive flood that swept the many houses. The water got in their houses, bridge was destroyed. At that time, I was still the village chief,” he said. This natural disaster motivated the community to establish conservationist group whose main activity is reforestating the surrounding area in Simoro.

Th e f i r s t t i m e KC L got a recommendation to join SCBFWM

programme was in 2009. Throughout 2010-2011 period, they undertook tree-planting activity in Salumaku subwatershed. “I was not the leader then. I replaced the former administrator after there was a revitalization in the organization,” Herry Panpow, the leader of CBO KCL, said. Herry, who was also the village secretary, was elected as the leader in March 16th, 2012. Under Herry’s leadership, KCL grows rapidly. Kelompok Cinta Lingkungan was also chosen as the champion of CBO SCBFWM award in 2013.

The success of KCL could not be separated from the trust given by the village and the Local Government Institution (SKPD) of Sigi District. Back then, the former administrators who were not transparent with their work were replaced with the help from Simoro village chief, Tahir Nasri. Herry has to lead KCL with no money in their treasury. Simoro village chief then gave them Rp750,000 from the Village Allocation Fund (ADD) to move honeybee hives from the land owned by the former leader to the land owned by CBO.

In 2011, KCL received 10 honeybee hives from SCBFWM project, added to the 3 hives they already had. Saudin is a KCL member who is responsible for this beekeeping business. Currently he is the Coordinator of Economic Productive Activies in KCL. KCL honeybee product is sold by the

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brand Madu Saudi. It is not a honey made in Saudi, but rather the name is taken from his own name, Saudin.

Saudin has managed beekeeping business since 15 years ago. The CARE programme has guided him, but since this guidance is only for an individual, his business does not grow much. “Right now, thanks to SCBFWM, we could produce in average 50 bottles a month,” he said. Maudi Saudi is sold for Rp25,000 a bottle.

Building trust is not easy, but Herry started with an effective way. Since the beginning, he realized that he could use publication and campaign strategy. “To expose KCL activities [to the community], we provide environmental learning in June 2012 by involving children from the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade to plant [trees]. There were no school activities that day so that they could join the activity and plant trees along Miu River,” he said.

Representatives from the National Centre, Forestry Service, the Head of Sub-District, customary institutions, and related Local Government Institution (SKPD) attended the event. “After the event is done, the Forestry Service took a look at our beekeeping business. They were interested in giving aids and in December 2012, we got 50 new beehives,” he said.

The aid just kept on coming. Right now, KCL owns 195 beehives, including the ones given by Environment Agency of Sigi District (144 beehives) and Forestry Service of Central Sulawesi (20 beehives).

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Under Herry’s leadership, KCL recruited new members, expanding their rank to 18 members. “Starting from 2012, we undertake independent activities. Lore Lindu National Park has invited us to work together to save the environment and forests. We facilitate the meeting between the community and those who conduct encroachment to open cocoa plantation,” he said. Their effort paid off. Without any repressive action taken, Lore Lindu National Park successfully controlled the encroachment.” There is a collaboration, a MoU between the community and National Centre to prevent the encroachment,” he said proudly.

This is a proof that CBO KCL has not only successfully empowered their own members but also empowered the community. “All CBO activities were not our own efforts but we also involve the community. For example in 2012, we managed RHL (Forest and Land Rehabilitation) programme to rehabilitate 150 hectares of land. We could not do that alone. Thus, we involve some plantation owners and the community, not only CBO members,” Herry said.

KCL now owns a new secretariat building on 3,700 m2 land that is surrounded by endemic tree, intercropping, and fruits such as pecans, durian, and rambutan planted by CBO members. “We have 70 2-y’o white teak trees,” he said. KCL also owns 2,500 m2 piece of land planted with 30 coconut trees that have been harvested once.

Besides beekeeping, KCL also has women group. “There are 3 women groups that are members of CBO. They produce Wisnu chips, which was the abbreviation of the members’ name, Winda, Salmiati, and Nurhayati,” Herry said.

These chips are made of glutinous rice, cheese, and sugar, and they are savory and crunchy. These tasty chips are the perfect everyday snacks. They sell Wisnu chips to many shops, including the shops in the neighbouring Sub-District, Kulawi. KCL also rear livestock and currently in

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possession of 45 chickens (up from 30 chickens) and 5 cattle. Everything started from SCBFWM aid.

“ I n 2 0 0 4 , w e w e re o n l y a n independent organization, not like this. However, after SCBFWM came, we got to learn a lot regarding organization, funding, and we made many new partners. Now, even though we are only recognized by the village chief, we are fairly trusted by the Local Government Working Agency (SKPD), Herry said.

The CBO who joined SCBFWM programme is now well known in Sigi District and the District is planning to replicate SCBFWM programme in other Sub-Districts.

Not all the aids received by CBO are granted free. These aids will only be granted if CBO expresses their willingness to give contribution to controlling forest and land degradation in watersheds. The form of this contribution is tree planting in degraded lands that need mutual attention.

According to Karim Mangadasi, the leader of customary assembly of Simoro Village, with the help of SCBFWM project, currently a regulation regarding customary institution has been established, covering various aspects of their life including the environment and forestry. “Members of the community will get sanction if they damage the forest. If one cuts down a tree with a diameter of 50 cm, that person will be fined Rp500,000 (US$41) ad s/he will have to plant 10 trees replacing the tree s/he cut down,” he said.

This success could be achieved with a small aid, amounted between Rp10-50 million. “SCBFWM is a small project with a big impact. It is based on trust. The one who built trust between SKPD and CBO is SCBFWM,” Herry said.

“Currently, if the community in Simoro face any problems, they will come to CBO because they will get help faster than coming to SKPD, like when they get pesticide to exterminate cocoa plant infection. This is because there is a recommendation from the Regent for SKPD to pay attention to CBO needs,” he added.

Herrry statements backed up by Tahir Nasri, Simoro village chief. According to Tahir, CBO administrative accountability is one of the factors that make CBO trustworthy. “When the administrators were replaced, we gave fund from the Village Allocation Fund (ADD). They have no money at first. We gave aids because this programme really do help the community. Besides their administrative accountability, they also provide good guidance. The Regent and DPRD head gave positive response towards CBO, that’s why SKPD immediately responded [by helping],” he said. Even when caterpillars attacked a 5-hectare cocoa plantation, it did not take long before insecticides were given through CBO.

SCBFWM project builds this trust by keeping the organization’s accountability through a neat and transparent bookkeeping and reporting system. CBO received various trainings, starting from developing a nursery, bookkeeping, monitoring and evaluation, to mapping technique, inspirational

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reporting, proposal writing, and presentation. The ones guiding and assisting the CBOs are the field facilitators.

The role of a regional facilitator as the coordinator and field facilitator to guide and oversee the project implementation on the field is very important to empower the community. They help finding what the community needs and listening to their aspiration. In addition, the community’s most basic need is to

improve their economic condition or prosperity without worsening forest and land degradation in watersheds.

“We are not a Flock of Pigeon”The progress felt by KCL is also felt by CBO Silva Sukamaju of Omu Village, Gumbasa Sub-District,

Sigi District, Central Sulawesi. According to Aris Pasasa, the leader of CBO Silva Sukamaju said his group was established in

2001, but they have only been a strong group since 2010 when SCBFWM came. “From 2001 to 2010 people said we were a flock of pigeon because we only came when there was an aid or food given.”

Today, they already have business activities built up from their own money and a small grant from SCBFWM.

Those business activities include agricultural production tool shop and agroforestry business that is planting white teak trees on the community members’ field.

Besides tool shop and teak trees, CBO Silva Sukamaju also develops goat rearing and beekeeping business. There are 14 goats currently reared, while for the beekeeping business, they already have 10 beehives. “We also have subgroup that received a rice thresher machine from the Agriculture Service ,” he said.

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“I thank SCBFWM for the knowledge they shared, starting from proposal writing, developing a nursery, and others. This boosts our confident to become an independent group,” Aris said.

According to Aris, many individuals or groups want to learn from CBO Silva Sukamaju, either directly or indirectly.

Those who want to learn directly asked permission to become a member of the CBO, while those who learn indirectly could be seen from the increasing enthusiasm of the community to plant. “At the hardwood tree seedling nursery in Omu Village there are many cases of seed theft. Those seeds are not sold, but they are planted somewhere else. Because they are not CBO members, they are reluctant to ask, while actually if they just ask, we would give it for free,” Aris said.

The nursery done by Silva Sukamaju members is funded by a small grant from SCBFWM project, their own money, and support from related SKPD.

According to Luther Sindhang, Omu Village chief, CBO members have their own set of skills. “There are carpenters, masons, we just need to motivate them,” he said. “Even when I built my house, 50% of the work was done by working together,” he added. Luther stated that the village has already allocated some of the ADD to help CBO operational activities.

As it happened with KCL, CBO Silva Sukamaju also invited those who conduct act of encroachment to be actively involved in their program.

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It took such a long process to get them involved. In Palu valley, 13 households of Daa Kaili ethnic group live and build a church at the National Protected Park. “The water we consume comes from their area. If we let this encroachment continue, it could damage the environment and their number will increase,” Aris said.

CBO then approached that group and invited them to live outside the protected area. The initiative came from the village chief in 2011 by asking the CBO. “We gave them a training to make

sapu ijuk (broom) and a help in palm sugar processing. We gave the equipment needed, like woks. We got the fund from the small grants. The CBO also gave a training to make woven handicrafts from coconut husk. They could sell the products on their own. The benefit they got (by not conducting act of encroachment) is that their children could start going to school and socialize with the rest of the community. They have come to the market and watched television,” Aris said happily.

Field Facilitator Experience in Motivating the Community

The success of CBO in empowering their members and the community cannot be separated from the role of field facilitators (FL) who continue to guide them day by day as the project is being implemented.

It is FL duties to empower the group before that group could empower and share the benefit to other group or part of the community.

According to Erwin Sudjatmiko, one of the guiding field facilitators

is CBO Silva Sukamaju. He and his partners have realized from the very beginning that SCBFWM programme is a strengthening community based program. “The focus is not project-oriented, rather shifting people’s mindset. To simplify it, this is an empowerment programme,” he said.

Empowerment programme would not be fitting if it were carried away with project-oriented approach. “The approach [used in carrying this project] should be community-based approach,

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emotional approach, including interpersonal approach, it is about how we could capture their heart,” he added.

Shifting the community’s mindset, according to Erwin, is not an easy matter and it took a very long process. “We have to assure them about the benefits of this programme, including the importance of planting hardwood trees,” he said.

Erwin said that the community needed real examples. “In their mind, it took a long time to reap the benefit of planting hardwood trees. They tend to go with cocoa plantations that have short harvesting period,” he said.

Erwin and his friends then gave some insights that there is nothing wrong if the community grow other plants in-between their cocoa plants in accordance with the conservation principles and plant arrangement.

“Cocoa plants do not need a full exposure of the sun’s rays. We should arrange our plants so that the sun’s rays shine above the appropriate plants. If the trees are going to be cut down, they will not damage the cocoa plants because they are planted in-between them. Alhamdullilah, they have seen the benefits. The trees they planted back then have been harvested. Like white teak trees, they could harvest them thrice. When they cut them down, the bud will grow. From 20 trees planted by the CBO, they got Rp45 million after 8 months,” he said.

Currently, according to Erwin, many people in the community have even 1,000-2,000 trees. “In their mind, they are sure that they will be rich, because here’s how they think. They are only farmers. It is impossible to be rich with their level of education, and they have no business skills. The only way, if they have a piece of land and they want to be prosperous in the future, is by planting trees. This is also their consideration if they want to put their children through universities with high tuition,” he said. “Only by cutting down several trees, they could send their children to university. Real examples like this is better for them than a mere theory. This kind of example is what make them think,” Erwin continued.

According to Erwin, there are 11 CBOs involved in SCBFWM project in Sigi District. Each CBO has their own characteristics. “There are many ethnic groups and [local] languages. Different districts, different ethnic groups, different languages, and different characters. We use different approaches, but we always have one goal in mind, empowerment,” he said.

One of the approaches is direct approach, done by Abdul Azis, a field facilitator in Sigi District. As one of the locals, he uses local language to ease his communication with the community.

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Field facilitators also use different approach to convey new information that could inspire the community.

As Syahril Paingi, one of the facilitators who guide a CBO in Lonca Village, “It was hard at first, because they doubt us.”

R e a l i z i n g t h a t t h e education level was still low, Syahril downloaded many inspirational videos to tell stories about the negative

impacts of forest degradation to attract the community’s attention. “I played those videos on my laptop between each activity. I also downloaded videos telling success stories of farmer groups in Java,” he said.

With these videos, Syahril wanted to tell the community that there is no time to only use their muscle to conduct act of encroachment. Rather, this is the time to start using their brain to earn millions of Rupiah. “I did not force them to watch it. While still talking, I played the video,” he said.

According to Syahril, the community in Lonca village once suffered from landslide, blocking their village circa 1970. “I downloaded a video when half a mountain land sliding in China. It turned out the impact of that video is so big,” Syahril said. “I told them, what else then? This project is for our own concern. They began to care about their environment, preventing it from getting degraded,” he added.

Syahril also targeted one specific group in purpose. “Because I could already see Mr. Kalvin’s (the leader of a CBO) enthusiasm. I approached him so that they could be an exemplary CBO,” he said.

Syahril reminded that t he bes t concept of an empowerment program is to not try to be the smartest person in the room. “Let them analyze their own problem,” he said.

U p u n t i l n o w , t h e development of CBO Hintuwua in Lonca Village, Kulawi Sub-District, Sigi District is very rapid. Not only the f ield activities, until this year, the asset of their credit union has reached Rp36 million, comprising of members’ regular

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income (more than Rp16 million) and SCBFWM project grant (Rp20 million) with planting contribution as much as 6,000 trees, Syahril said.

“The group also has their own industrial business like coffee and corn milling machine, and coconut shredding machine,” Syahril said.

Overall, SCBFWM project has a big influence in controlling forest and land degradation – not only by planting trees – by terminating shifting cultivation system.

Previously, forest encroachment in Lonca Village, according to Syahril, involved around 30 households. “They conversed around 2 ha of land each year. They created new gampong in group. Actually, they realized that they damaged the forest pretty badly. They realized that the economic benefit [of their action] is not that big, that actually they suffered from loss, and what they got was only enough to survive,” Syahril said.

Because they did not have any capital or other skills, Syahril said, they had to conduct encroachment to seek a more fertile piece of land. Through credit union service from the CBO, they finally settled down. “Even, there were several members of the CBO asking why SCBFWM did not come there 10 years ago,” he said.

The credit union service is not only for CBO members but also for the community at large with 2.5% declining interest depends on the remaining of the loan. The more important side is that, according to Syahril, a more strengthened organization. “There are regular meetings and also financial punishment. If someone is late, s/he have to pay Rp5,000, come home early, they also have to pay the same amount, and the same principle goes for being absent. Those fines are incorporated into the revenue of their business, so their money is used for them. The CBO has also gathered social fund for rehabilitation and social activities,” Syahril said.

Until now, seven undergraduates have analyzed SCBFWM empowerment system in Sigi District. “From our experience, empowerment programme should comprise of 70% productive economy empowerment that did not degrade land function and 30% environment conservation. If that is fulfilled, there will be no encroachment anymore. They went to the forest because they were hungry,” Syahril explained.

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aN INtervIeW WIth SIgI regeNt

“Do not let our grandchildren cry”

Support from the Local Government Institution (SKPD) is very important in determining the success of SCBFWM project.

In Sigi District, recommendation from Sigi District, Aswadin Randalembah regarding the CBO that has successfully implemented SCBFWM project has proven to be effective in encouraging SKPD to support CBOs programmes. This recommendation also motivated SKPD to coordinate with related services in controlling forest and land degradation and community empowerment.

SCBFWM interviewed Aswadin to further understand his vision in environment management and community’s economic empowerment. This is the excerpt:

What is your opinion regarding SCBFWM success in Sigi District?Before I answer it, I will mention the potential of our District. Sigi District has 15 Sub-Districts and

156 villages. Our area comprises of around 5,196 km2 of land and 75% of it is forest area. Therefore, yes, our forest has a great potential and we have almost every status a forest could have, starting from the lowest one, APL, until conserved forest that we must protect.

I like this programme because the community began to realize. In the past, I always told the community that we should not let our grandchildren cry, because, yes, we do not feel the effect of uncontrolled logging now, but the ones who are going to feel the effect are our grandchildren.

The community began to realize that and now they planted [trees] and rehabilitated the land. We decided that we should not help the community if they did nothing. It is because from our experience, from we have evaluated, starting from when Sigi was not an autonomous region until now that we are, many aids were given but nothing changes. We are trying to change the pattern.

We never give any help unless the community start the initiatives. By doing so, we motivate them to keep moving forward. That is also what happened with the CBO. We encouraged them to save the environment and utilize natural resources for their prosperousness, but this should better be sustainable. We cannot stop there, because usually, they are only given aids for like, a month, and then everything stopped. For example, if the groups are given some tools, do not focus on who gets the tools, but focus on how to utilize those tools.

If they focus on the ownership of the tools, they will then think that they could sell the tools and get the money. We do not want that. What should be the focus is how the group could utilize those tools. If they are not benefitting from the aids, then there should be an evaluation, we could pull the aids.

We could not implement this programme to all groups. We could only do that if the first group could really implement this programme. If they could not implement the programme well, I told them that they might have closed a great opportunity for other people because when the evaluation comes, the aids will be marked as ineffective. We keep trying to change the community’s and our mindset. We are going there.

Aids only is not enough to eradicate poverty. If we keep relying on aids, then there will be no end. We have to work hard, and as religious people, we should pray. Aids without working hard or even

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prayer will only lead to hoping for another aid. We should not wish for unprecedented aids without working hard.

One of the strength of SCBFWM project is it is not about the fund, but more about building a system, and also guidance from the field facilitators and counterparts. Is there anything that you could take so that you could continue this programme on the field?

We have to continue thinking like that, because most of the time, the community only want the instant solution, the quickest solution. They work for today; they get money from it, which is why they like to become daily worker. I always told them that it takes time. If we want to change our fate for the next five years, we have to start now. We sow today, 5 years later we could reap it.

So, according to you, what kind of capacity enhancement that is important?Besides achieving the long-term goals, we still have to fulfill our daily needs. There is Sustainable

Food House Region programme from the Food Security Agency, Ministry of Agriculture that aim to make use of community’s yard for planting vegetables. Green vegetables, chili, rica, and tomatoes. If we have those, we could start eating and sweating (he laughed). We could fulfill the nutritional and vegetable needs. The products must be fresh, organic, and healthier; we could decrease our grocery-shopping budget, and save more money for our children.

We tried to bring them outside their region, for example to Pacitan, East Java. After they saw the programme, they were inspired. It is better to see it for themselves once than to read or hear about it a hundred times. By seeing it, they could learn directly, and they believe in the result.

Does the District has any plan to legally back up the outstanding CBO?We will make a decree for every CBO, but we cannot do it all at once. There has to be a

recommendation, for example from the agricultural extension agent. They [the agricultural extension agents] are the one who know well if any of the CBO has achieve something. There are 1,075 groups but they engage in many different fields including fisheries and animal husbandries. Why do we give the aids to a group? Because we are trying to establish the sense of gotong royong (working together) back.

Is this gotong royong system could also open the possibility of interservice coordination and diminish sectorial ego?

Yes, through BAPPEDA, we are trying to collaborate all SKPD to make them working together. We told SKPD that we are here for the community. Therefore, our orientation is to help the community.

If possible, we would like to compensate regions, which have conservation area(s). This conservation area should be an indicator for DAU and DAK funds, which up until now only cover general matters like total area, poverty level, and other things. There is no compensation for conservation areas.

We are asked to protect [the conservation areas] because they are the world’s lungs, but how about our lungs? We proposed that regions, which have conservation areas, should be given a compensation and conservation area should be an indicator in DAU and DAK so that we could expand the conservation areas and protect the environment.

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Testimonies from the Local Government Institution (SKPD)

Testimonies of the success of CBO came from various parties, not only from the Regent, but also from the related SKPD. Here is the excerpt.

Wachid Noor Hikmahwan, Programme Staff of BPDAS Palu PosoSKPD is glad that we could be involved in CBO’s activities. In the activities like community’s

nursery, beekeeping, and Wisnu chips, there is always an involvement among the related stakeholders. The stakeholder also cares and gives natural disaster risk management training, UN REDD. Even the forest and land rehabilitation (RHL) programme in the area of conflict done by the CBO has proven to be more successful than the same programme did by TNI. RHL activity in Omu and Simoro village did not even need TNI.

The CBOs are great and trustworthy. Their budget is transparent. They are open. In Simoro, the leader was replaced to avoid any intrigues, and the village chief had to be involved in the process. All activities must be authorized a decree issued by the village chief. Many village chiefs support the CBOs. The point is that a leader should become an example for the others.

Ir. Sunandar, Kasubag Programme and Report of the Forestry and Plantations Services of Sigi DistrictThis SCBFWM empowerment programme has a high frequency of meeting and guidance to dig

deep what the community really needs. This is done so that the community could become independent. This programme contributes a lot to change the community’s mindset. We also see that this is the first programme that can truly explore what the community needs. Thus, in the future, CBOs could be legally recognized by Regent decree, as many other outstanding groups.

Samuel Y. Pongi SE., M.Si. Head of Economic Division, BAPPEDA, Sigi DistrictThe community could really feel the empowerment programme. They own it. This is the

testimonies from the CBO leader and village chief. Only with a stimulus from CBO, they are willing to spend their money and energy. It is hoped that this programme does not stop in Miu but also replicated in other watersheds. There are 7 districts and 57 villages along with the Lore Lindu National Park building the world’s lungs. With this kind of programmes, the community living surrounding the forest could be empowered as what happened with 11 other villages who have CBOs. I hope that this programme could last longer because there are other watersheds.

The best CBO will be invited to Lampung. Currently CBO has been granted supports and funds from the ADD. The community feels like they own the CBO. This comes directly from the CBO. They are willing to spend their money, time, and energy. There are 156 villages in Sigi District, but only in 11 villages, SCBFWM programme is implemented. Still many other villages still need this programme.

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Ir. Suratman M.Si., Head of BPDAS Palu PosoWe must diminish sectorial ego. Every program should develop local economy. The potential is

very vast and great. The programme should have a direct impact to the community by changing the their mindset so that they could feel that they own the environment and they are the ones who are going to be feel the effects [of their doing] in the future.

Ir. Titik Wurdiningsih, M.Si, Section Head of Programme of BPDAS Palu PosoSCBFWM work plan could be served as a model for empowerment. Not only regarding the

activities but also the administration. If there is an evaluation, they should be able to be hold responsible of what they have.

Sigi District has a vast natural resource potential but the community has yet to have the skills to process them, like processing bamboo or tree bark into clothing materials or artistic products.

Rahmat Latjinala, Kasub Legislation, Documentation and Legal Information Network of Setda Sigi District

I am ashamed to Mr. Erus. We are grateful that SCBFWM dig deep seeking for the village regulations needed by the community whilst actually the local government should be the one who should be doing that. The problem is different in every village.

We will continue guiding the village chief, BPD, and other groups. We have started that in 2013 in three Sub-Districts, Biromaru, Dolo, and South Kulawi. In South Kulawi, they will establish village regulation regarding clean water. In Biromaru, they do not have problem with clean water but they still have to tidy up the management.

We have a target in 2015 that 156 village in 15 Sub-Districts should be familiar with methods and steps in formulating village regulation due to dissemination by CBOs. In 2013, CBO has already present in 11 villages in Dolo, 15 villages in Biromaru, and 12 villages in South Kulawi. That makes 39 villages in total. We try to make every village regulation formulated by the local government based on human rights and environment so that the village regulation could meet community’s needs.

In 2014, local government will propose one regulation regarding environmental service processing. From the economic standpoint, the benefit of these regulations is very big for Sigi District because we have the potentials. We just need the central and provincial government to facilitate our way. In the meantime, we will discuss this matter before we propose it.

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Part FourIndependent and Capable Community Lessons learned

from Way Besai Subwatershed, West Lampung

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In Way Besai Subwatershed, West Lampung, almost 65% of the local community work in the agricultural sector (farm, husbandry, forestry, fishery, etc.). The population density of this region has reached 150 individuals/km2. People living in Besai watershed mainly work as farmers and they have been living in this region since 1951 through government transmigration programme.

Almost 64% of the community’s livelihood comes from coffee plantation. The main agriculture commodities are coffee, pepper, corn, and peanuts. The agriculture system adopted in this region

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is mixed-cropping system by planting coffee with paddy, chil i , or trees (Agathis, Artocarpus, and other fruit trees).

Fa r m e r s u s u a l l y generate their income from the coffee plants harvested after 3 months. For the rest of the year they depend their livelihood on animal husbandry. Community Forest groups have been granted rights (for a certain period) to manage the forest area.

Way Besai Subwatershed has a high biodiversity (there are rare and endemic species). Erosion occurred because of intensive agricultural practice. Since 1960 to 2000, people converted forest area mainly into coffee plantation. Conservation area was degraded due to encroachment and land conversion. Encroachment also caused biodiversity loss.

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SBCFWM programme was implemented in West Lampung in 2010. In this region, many people are involved in the Community Fo re s t ( H K m ) p ro g r a m m e . SCBFWM gave the community some skills to process non-timber forest products (HHBK). One of the skills is to optimize coffee yields that have been a trademark of Lampung province.

The success of SCBFWM programme in improving the community’s economic condition

and skills in processing HHBK could be seen in Tri Budi Syukur Pekon (Village). KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur is one of the groups that received SCBFWM small grant in the form of ground coffee processing machines, starting from coffee grinder, oven, and packaging machine for a total of Rp27 million.

The group perseverance in optimizing the aids from SCBFWM paid off. Currently Women Farmer Group (KWT) Melati Tribudi Syukur revenue has reached Rp1.3 million a year.

Spring preservation also one of the activities done by the group in Gunung Terang Village as they already have an environmental service mechanism that involves three groups from 2 villages.

In Air Hitam Sub-District, SCBFWM supplies clean water. Previously, according to Gandi, SCBFWM field facilitator of West Lampung, the community hardly has access to clean water. They have to walk for 2 to 4 kilometers to fetch clean water. This fact made the community realize that forest conservation is very important to preserve the spring. “Having realized the importance [of forest conservation], they planted not only a thousand trees, but some have planted 10,000 to 12,000 trees.

Ir. Amirian, Head of Forestry Service of Liwa District, West Lampung District, said, “Actually, activities to manage and conserve forest and watershed have long been undertaken, both by the provincial and local governments. However, there was always an obstacle, like lack of resources, energy, labor, and budget. SCBFWM project is really helpful.”

KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur: A CBO with total revenue of Rp1.3 billionS u m i a r s i h , t h e t re a s u re r a n d

administrator of Women Farmer Group (KWT) Melati Tribudi Syukur, never imagined that her group would be able to reach Rp1.3 billion revenue.

CBO KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur was established in 1993. At the beginning, this group had only workers’ arisan (group saving and gathering) and credit union service. Workers’ arisan is a cooperative arisan to lend strength [in doing an activity] in

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which the payment is postponed until the end of the season or a year later. Because there was no driving force from 1993 to 2009, the group’s activity was rather stagnant. “Many members loaned money but only a few of them paid their loan, that’s why many of the loans were nonperforming,” she said.

In 2010, KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur received a grant from SCBFWM in the form of ground coffee processing machines, starting from coffee grinder, oven, and packaging machine for a total of Rp27 million.

If previously the group sold their coffee yields directly to a middleman, now KWT Tribudi Syukur is able to process and sell their coffee yields with their own brand, Kopi Semut (Ant Coffee). The inspiration for the name came from a very simple experience. “When we harvest the coffee, there are lots of ants. In addition, it is very easy to remember the word ant. Today, the way we say it here is like, we are not drinking a coffee if we are not drinking an ant,” Dian Dinata, the inventor of the name Kopi Semut, said while laughing.

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Besides processing and selling the coffee, KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur also provides coffee processing service, starting from roasting, grinding, until packaging for surrounding communities.

The community could come with their harvested cherries to KWT and bring back ground coffee ready to be served. “If anybody needs ground coffee, they don’t have to roast it at home. They could just come to us with their

harvested cherries and they could bring back home a ready to be served ground coffee,” Sumiarsih said.KWT shop that previously only had an Rp1 million capital has now developed with the help from

SCBFWM. “Back then, our net income was only Rp2.5 million in a year and every member would get Rp17,000 in a year to buy flour and orson,” she said.

Having received coffee processing machine from SCBFWM, their coffee production, which was only 20 kg a month, kept increasing to 1 quintal a month. “Last time, we reached more than 2 tons in a month,” Sumiarsih added.

The success of KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur motivated the Ministry of Development of Disadvantaged Regions to give another coffee grinder. Besides coffee grinder and packaging machine, KWT also received palm sugar processing machine. SCBFWM programme also helped KWT in developing medicinal herb garden.

As a result, KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur has currently become an independent organization. KWT charge their members Rp10,000 a month for their monthly contribution. “And if they want to invest, a member must at least invest a million Rupiah,” Sumiarsih said.

KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur has even taken a bigger step by establishing a credit union. “The story behind the establishment of this credit union is that we were always asked about our legal standing every time we participated in a competition. Thus, we proposed to SCBFWM to make a notarial deed,” Sumiarsih said.

In October 30th, with the help from SCBFWM, KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur officially received the permit to establish a women’s credit union by the name Melati Makmur Women’s Credit Union. KWT Melati Tribudi Syukur was then administrated under the administration of this credit union, which already has a total revenue of Rp1.3 billion with Rp171 million profit a year. A very proud achievement indeed.

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HKM Centre: Information and Intersectorial Learning CentreThe community of Tribudi Syukur village, Kebun Tebu Sub-District, West Lampung District, has

managed the forest for a long time. For generations they have cultivated crops. The first generation was transmigrated from West Java province to said location circa 1950.

However, a long tradition of crop cultivation did not ensure them a peaceful life. In 1994, they got a very bad experience. They were evicted from their own land because their plantation was located on state-owned forest area.

The issuance of Ministry of Forestry Ministerial Decree (SK) No. 677 of 1998 regarding Community Forest (HKM) brought good news to the community. Through this SK, the community was given the permit to manage the forest for a certain period up until 35 years. One of the criteria for receiving this permit is that the community should establish a group.

The community in Tribudi Syukur did not waste this chance. In April 21st, 1998, HKM Bina Wana was established. “We want to manage the forest by the motto, ‘Sustainable Forest, Prosperous Community.’ We are aiming for these two targets,” Engkos Kosasih, the leader of HKM Bina Wana, said.

Since then, the community started mixed-cropping agriculture pract ice. In accordance with HKM regulations, the community is recommended to plant 70% hardwood trees and 30% fruit trees. “We reverse the regulation, so we planted 70% fruit trees and 30% hardwood trees because we could not harvest timber products inside the protected forest area,” he said.

They did not succeed in planting the fruit trees due to cold temperatures, as Tribudi Syukur is located 800-900 meters above sea level. “If the dry season is not long

enough, the fruits could not ripen properly,” Engkos said.Community’s prosperity began to improve when they started cultivating coffee, producing palm

sugar, and rearing livestock. By utilizing the community forest as the source of livestock fodder, this group has now owned 70 goats. Each member even had more goats according to Engkos. “There is an additional income generated from selling the meat. The manure could be used to fertilize lands. Alhamdulillah, from that point on, environmental conservation started coming to realization and the community’s prosperity has improved,” Engkos said.

HKM Bina Wana received a grant from SCBFWM in 2013 to build HKM Centre. HKM Centre is a realization of a long-term vision of HKM Bina Wana. On the land abandoned by the Agricultural Extension Agency, we have constructed a building that would be used as HKM Information Centre.

According to Engkos, that building would be used as a meeting place, a library, and plot samples synergizing forestry programmes with agriculture, fishery, and animal husbandry programmes. “We

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always bother the village chief back then every time we want to hold a meeting, but now we have our own place,” he said gladly.

HKM Centre is also indirectly beneficial for the women’s credit union in Tribudi Syukur Village. “Because every time people come to that place, they would buy souvenirs from the KWT,” Engkos said. There would be several small saung (chambers) where KWT would process non-timber forest products (NTFPs) yielded by HKM group. “We [HKM groups] will focus on managing lands,” he said.

Currently, almost every individual in Tribudi Syukur Village has joined a group. The division of the farmers group is based on members’ residency. “97% of the people [in our village] have joined a group, whether it is a farmer group, KWT, or HKM,” Dian Dinata, the secretary of HKM Bina Wana, said. The work performance of the group is also satisfying. “In average, the total revenue of farmer groups, KWT, and HKM is between Rp600 million and Rp1 billion a year,” Dian said.

“There are social punishments if someone does not join a group. When they have lived in our village for three years, they have to join a group,” Suhendar, the vice leader of HKM Bina Wana said.

According to Engkos, this condition did not only improve the financial condition of their village but also strengthened the government. “The group pays the land and building tax (PBB). We have two main commodities, rice and coffee, so we have rice and coffee milling,” he said.

Good relationship between KWT and HKM is automatically established because the husbands joined HKM while their

wives joined KWT. The benefit? “Net income (SHU) could come from anywhere. The wives would get net income from KWT, while the husbands would get it from farmer group. When Eid al-Fitr comes, they do not need to buy sugar and flour anymore. They just have to take it from the net income.”

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Suhendar laughed. The group also provides group members with health and education insurance to help them when they need it.

As a contribution to building HKM Centre, HKM Bina Wana planted 5,000 trees in surrounding degraded lands. “We also have planned to make erosion control dams. Besides planting [trees], we also want to conserve the forest,” he said.

According to Engkos, in Tribudi Syukur village, they do not really need forest rangers anymore. “Around here, the community protects the forest. The most concrete benefit of HKM establishment

is that there is no illegal logging, no forest fires,” he said.

HKM Bina Wana currently has 478 members and manages up to 465 hectares of land. “This cultivated land is state-owned and we have a permit to manage the land for 35 years since 2000,” Engkos said. Through HKM programme, according to Engkos, land management on marga

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(community-owned lands) and state-owned forest area is not differentiated anymore. “Because the community now has legal standing,” Engkos said.

Thus, the community was motivated to plant hardwood trees without anyone forcing them. “They have began harvesting by now, especially the African trees which grow pretty quick and have good qualities,” Engkos added.

Engkos realized the capability of HKM group in developing HKM Centre is still limited. “We hope related agencies and institutions or other organizations make an investment, helping us in setting up meeting, opening inns, and animal husbandries. The potential is very great, like bamboo handicraft. There are a lot of economic and environmental values that we could develop in this HKM center,” he said. Thus, in the future, hopefully HKM center does not belong to Bina Wana only but also to West Lampung District and Lampung province.

“We will not act alone. There should be cooperation and we should help each other,” Dian said. His dream is that after the HKM Centre is done, Tribudi Syukur could be a tourist village. A village where tourists could observe sustainable community based forest and land management.

Protect the Water, Protect Our LifeGandi, SCBFWM field facilitator of West Lampung said that there are 5 Sub-Districts involved

in SCBFWM activities. “The activities vary,” he said.In Tribudi Syukur Village, as have been explained earlier, there was a construction of an information

center called HKM Centre. Each group voluntarily planted 5,000 trees.In Sumber Jaya Sub-District, there is a micro hydro activity. The community gets electricity by

utilizing the river stream. “This makes them realize that they need to conserve the surrounding forest through planting and protecting the forest to preserve the availability of clean water,” he said.

In Air Hitam Sub-District, SCBFWM supplies clean water. Previously, according to Gandi, SCBFWM field facilitator of West Lampung, the community hardly has access to clean water. They have to walk for 2 to 4 kilometers to fetch clean water. This fact made the community realize that

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forest conservation is very important to preserve the spring. “Having realized the importance [of forest conservation], they planted not only a thousand trees, but some have planted 10,000 to 12,000 trees.

One of the groups receiving a grant from SCBFWM in the form of micro hydro activity is HKM Mardi Rukun in Simpang Sari village, Sumber Jaya Sub-District, West Lampung District.

According to Kamisan, the leader of HKM Mardi Rukun, with the help of micro hydro activity, the community does not need to buy kerosene anymore for their lights, so they could cut their budget down. “There are 14 households that are benefitted from this micro hydro activity be receiving 3 lamps a house,” he said. Having received aids from SCBFWM, according to Kamisan, the community becomes motivated to protect the environment.

Micro hydro service is dependent on the river stream. If the spring is somehow disturbed or even dried out, the electricity resulted from the micro generator would be disturbed too. Thus, the community becomes motivated to ensure that the river stream is intact. One of their ways to do it is by planting 5,000 hardwood trees along the river. “They did it voluntarily,” Kamisan said.

Another group who was granted the same aid is KWT Melati Mekar Sari in Srimenanti village, Air Hitam Sub-District, West Lampung District.

According to Jamaludin, SCBFWM field facilitator of Srimenanti, aids from SCBFWM came at first in 2012 to help develop clean water service.

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At the same time, Srimenanti village was experiencing a long drought. “We experienced a long drought. It lasted for a month. Our well was dried out,” Dwi Nurhayati, the leader of Women’s Farmer Group (KWT) Melati Mekar Sari in Srimenanti village, said. “At that time, we asked our husband to look for a spring and we [women’s group] gather the fund,” she said.

KWT Mekar Sari then received a small grant with a total amount of Rp23 million for buying pipes to build a dam in the spring, located 5 kilometers from the residential area. “As of right now, 37 households have access to clean water, not only CBO members,” Dwi said.

As a contribution to preserving clean water supply, the community planted thousands of trees surrounding the spring and river.

The remaining aids from SCBFWM are used to help the community to develop bamboo handicrafts. This weaving skill is acquired by inviting a trainer from Sleman, Yogyakarta, through by using aids from SCBFWM.

“Bamboo has always had economic value, it could be made into handicrafts, and it also have a conservation value. It could absorb water. Before the training, we could only make opak, plant cassavas, and then we harvest them and replant another batch, damaging the land. By planting bamboos, we could reduce the risk of landslide in the riverbank and indirectly help land conservation process,” Dwi said.

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Clean water service programme and bamboo handicrafts have now been going on for 2 years. “Alhamdulillah, the water keeps flowing even though it is the dry season. Everybody could have an access to the water,” Dwi said.

Synergizing in maintaining enviromental service of clean waterWorking together, helping each other, and enjoying the benefit of forest conservation, all of

these could be seen in the activities undertaken by Clean Water Management Group (KPAB) Wana Tirtha in Gunung Terang village, Air Item Sub-District, West Lampung District.

Sutrisno, the secretary of KPAB Wana Tirtha, Gunung Terang, said that the first time they got help from SCBFWM was in 2010. “The aid from the first period was used to change the clean water installation, the pipe, because many people depend on it,” he said.

Realizing that the water they use coming from the upperwatershed, KPAB Wana Tirtha initiated an agreement among 4 groups: HKM Hijau Kembali, KPAB Jaga Tirtha, KPAB Wana Tirtha, and KWT Melati Gunung Terang.

“We realize that we need water, but the water is coming from the upperwatershed, in HKM Hijau Kembali territory. So there must be something that we have to do to contribute to protecting the environment so that we could preserve the spring,” Sutrisno said.

Thus, the group gave 1,000 rubber tree seedlings to be planted on the upperwatershed and Rp700,000 a year to Rigis Village, where HKM Hijau Kembali is based in.

Another collaboration they agreed upon was synergizing in nature conservation. KPAB Wana Tirtha also planted 5,000 trees to conserve the surrounding environment. “Not only HKM Hijau Kembali, we also have the responsibility to protect the environment. Once a month we will check the watershed and see the development of the conservation area. We coordinate with HKM Hijau Kembali to solve the existing problems,” Sutrisno said.

Established in 2006, KPAB Wana Tirtha now has 173 households as their members. Every member is subject to Rp500,000 registration fee. “Alhamdulillah, we are not having trouble looking for funds anymore because SCBFWM has helped us. The accounting training they gave us also helps us. Back then, there was no report after meetings, but now we always have a report for every meeting. Everything is well documented. Our organization has now become more developed thanks to SCBFWM guidance. We are hoping that they could always guide us,” Sutrisno said.

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According to Sutrisno, the most important thing to be done right now is monitoring thousands of newly planted trees so that they can be properly maintained. “These thousands of trees should be monitored and replanted if there is any damage so that they don’t just wither in vain,” he said.

The agreement of these four groups has proven to be effective in controlling forest and land degradation. “We suffered long drought twice, but Alhamdulillah, we had no trouble accessing the water because the forest has never been greener,” Sutrisno said proudly.

“With a fishpond, we can donate more”KWT Melati Gunung Terang is one of the groups that enjoy clean water from HKM Hijau Kembali

territory in Rigis Village, Air Item Sub-District, West Lampung District.KWT Melati is also involved in the four-group agreement – among HKM Hijau Kembali, KPAB

Jaga Tirtha, KPAB Wana Tirtha, and KWT Melati Gunung Terang – on which they promised to continue protecting their sustainable clean water service.

“Before this, we had no easy access to clean water. If we want to take a bath, we have to go to the river or belik which is far way from our home,” Yuda Sutri, the founder of KWT Melati Gunung Terang, said. “When we finally got access to clean water, it felt like we’re in heaven,” she continued.

However, there was a guilt in her heart, seeing that the water flowing to their home is somehow wasted 24 hours without any reservoir.

SCBFWM project helped the KWT to realize their desire to create a permanent fishpond that has double function; first to collect the excess water and second as an aquaculture location.

“What we expect from this fish pond is to exploit economic value because for years we have been eating salted fish,” Yuda said with laugh. SCBFWM granted Rp20.5 million that was given in 3 periods. Now, 18 members of this KWT have already had their own fishpond. “When we celebrated the group first anniversary, every member donated a tilapia. We have a feast of tilapias,” Yuda said happily.

Besides consuming them, they also sell the fish to the market to have an additional income. “We sell the fish to the market to neighbors who do not have a fish pond,” Yuda said. The revenue of selling the fish, according to Yuda, is enough to help the families in paying the children’s tuition fee and buying groceries. “It’s enough. At least if our children want to buy a text book for their school, we do not have to worry anymore,” she said while laughing.

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KWT also felt that there is gender equality, now that they have their own income. “According to our religious teaching, it is an obligation for men to provide a living for his family, the women is only obliged to give donations. Now that we have this pond, we could definitely give more,” Mrs. Yuda said, making all members laugh and shout at her.

Just like what KPAD Jaga Tirtha did, KWT Melati Gunung Terang also gave 1,000 rubber tree seedlings to HKM Hijau Kembali to conserve the spring from which they enjoy their clean water. “We also have planted 5,000 Africa tree seedlings along the riverbank and on members’ yard,” Yuda said.

Testimonies from the Local Government Institution (SKPD)

Ir. Amirian, Head of Forestry Service of Liwa District, West Lampung DistrictThis project really helped the local government by promoting community empowerment.Actually, activities to manage and conserve forest and watershed have long been done, both by

the provincial and local governments. However, there was always an obstacle, like lack of resources, energy, human resources, and budget. SCBFWM project is helpful.

Way Besai watershed in Lampung has a very complex topography with hills and upperwatershed. Most part of our region is state-owned forest. The slope is very steep and very susceptible to erosion.

Farmers need lands, making them conversing the area into agriculture land. There must be an effort to save these lands and avoid erosion. The homework for everybody is top find the appropriate trees that could be utilized by farmers. This brings an opportunity for multi-party collaboration.

In accordance with the existing regulations, the watershed is ours. [The management] could not be handed into one specific sector because the benefit from the watershed could be enjoyed by all sectors.

Ir. Muswir Ayub, Head of BPDAS Way Seputih Way SekampungWe always support and facilitate SCBFWM activities. From what we heard on the field, the CBOs

have been developed. One thing that I keep reminding the CBO is that do not let their product quality down when their products have become well known.

Fadil Syahbana, Staff of Monitoring Regional Office of Way Seputih Way Sekampung Watershed Management

This SCBFWM programme focuses on strengthening organization. There were many programmes aiming at saving the ecology but forgetting the economic factor.

Now they balance the economic and ecological factors, promising a better economic condition by saving the ecology. That is why they focus on strengthening the organization first.

Low education level does not present any problems because the community is in fact could identify and solve their own problems.

This ecology problem is always cause by lack of public awareness. Nowadays, public awareness [regarding this problem] has increased far beyond our expectation due to SCBFWM programme.

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Part fiveThe community’s vision decides the nature’s

well-being Lessons learned from Tulis subwatershed in Banjarnegara and Wonosobo

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The community living in Tulis Hulu Subwatershed, Kejajar Sub-District, Wonosobo District, has a tradition to plant cendani bamboos along the river to control soil erosion and protect water reserves. Besides benefitting for the ecology, these bamboos also have economic benefit to the farmers because farmers could sell the bamboos to the local handicraft industry.

Tulis subwatershed is a part of Serayu Hulu subwatershed, which is a water catchment area of Mrica dam, utilized by Panglima Besar Soedirman Hydro Power Plant (PLTA) in Bawang Sub-District, Banjarnegara. Tulis Ssubwatershed comprises of 13,907.33 ha of land. Within this area is Dieng region, which stretches between two districts, Banjarnegara and Wonosobo.

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The major problem faced by the community living in this area is land degradation due to potato cultivation.

Before potato cultivation, the community living in Serayu Hulu subwatershed adopted mixed-garden management. However, long gone were those plantations and now there is only treeless and barren potato plantation. Farmers who only have a narrow piece of land even sold their land to the bigger potato farmers.

Back then, the financial benefit from potato cultivation was very high. This condition attracted many big farmers, private enterprises, and elites from various places to come and invest their capitals in the area. They bought lands and hired local communities as labors in the newly open potato plantation.

The impact of potato cultivation towards Tulis Hulu subwatershed is very big. Forest and mountain slope were barren as the trees were cut down to open potato cultivation area. The evidence of the damage could still be seen up until now.

Actually, forest area in Dieng has high diversity of flora and fauna (many protected and endemic species). Some of endangered species living in the protected areas was threaten due to forest encroachment.

Dieng has a steep topography. It has high annual rainfall and hence possesses high risk towards land degradation and soil erosion. Farmers also have to face with lack of water resources and land degradation.

One of the most important contribution of SCBFWM programmes in this region is the facilitation of various activities to rehabilitate forest and land in Tulis subwatershed. Among the

activities are a joint initiative that produced a grand design to rehabilitate Dieng carried out by six districts and the establishment of Working Team for Dieng Rehabilitation (TKPD) in Banjarnegara and Wonosobo.

T h e e f f o r t t o e r a d i c a t e c o m m u n i t y ’ s d e p e n d e n c e o n potato plantation that damage the environment badly is realized by providing Carica, tamarillos, and purwaceng seedlings. Not only that,

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SCBFWM programme also gave Carica processing and packaging tools to help the group becoming independent and earning additional income.

One of the groups receiving guidance from SCBFWM is CBO Perkasa 2 that has become more confident with their capabilities in becoming independent and well organized. They are already determined to restore soil fertility and improve the welfare of the surrounding community. “We are ready to become independent. SCBFWM would be in vain if we are not independent,” Ma’ruf, the leader of CBO Perkasa, said firmly.

Local government long-term commitment in conserving watershed has also been realized when Banjarnegara District issued local regulation regarding Serayu watershed, making Banjarnegara the first District in Indonesia who has local regulation regarding watershed.

“We feel that SCBFWM brought something different. We felt that this project is making community based watershed conservation plan, because land and water conservation would be more effective if it involves the community,’ Drs. Setiawan, M.Hum, Head of Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) of Banjarnegara District, said.

Long-term vision in Watershed ManagementBanjarnegara is a District comprising of 106,000 km2 of land and 103,00 km2 of it is watershed

area. Therefore, it is not exaggerating when this region is called Watershed District.Along with Wonosobo District, Banjarnegara District is a place for half of Dieng plateau located

in the west part of Sindoro and Sumbing mountains complex.The basic problem faced by the community living in Dieng region is land degradation due to

forest conversion into agriculture land. Local development programmes were not quite effective in solving the problem. There have been efforts to rehabilitate the region but the best solution has yet to be found, a comprehensive solution balancing ecological, economic, and socio-culture matters.

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All this time, in handling the problem in Dieng region, the solution only focused on physical aspect without paying much attention to the economic and socio-culture aspects. Regarding the organizational matter, the solutions were also lack of synergy because the approach used was tend to be sectorial.

Strengthening Community Based Forest and Watershed Management (SCBFWM) project came to help solving this problem.

Undergoing from 2009 to 2014, this project chose Tulis subwatershed, one of Serayu Hulu subwatershed, as one of its project site. On the other hand, Serayu Hulu subwatershed is a water catchment area utilized by Panglima Besar Sudirman Hydro Power Plant to supply electricity to Java and Bali. Dieng region, which is located in Tulis watershed, comprises of 13,907.33 ha stretched between Banjarnegara and Wonosobo Districts.

The challenge to rehabilitate forest in Tulis subwatershed is indeed tough. Tulis subwatershed is very susceptible to degradation and soil erosion. It has a very steep topography dipping more than 40 degree, high annual rainfall (>3,000mm) and around 70.86% of the land is dominated by agriculture land. Permanent vegetation coverage is only 1.46%, while paddy field takes 5.90%, and 21.77% is residency area.

“The main tourist attraction area is actually located in Tulis Hulu subwatershed, like the temples and Telaga Warna Lake. Thus, rehabilitation is an urgent matter and we should do it with community-based approach,” Eko Budi Wiyono, regional facilitator of SCBFWM project in Yogyakarta, said.

SCBFWM facilitated several activities to rehabilitate forest and land in Tulis subwatershed. Among the activities are a joint initiative that produced a grand design to rehabilitate Dieng carried out by six districts and the establishment of Working Team for Dieng Rehabilitation (TKPD) in Banjarnegara and Wonosobo.

Throughout 2010, Tulis subwatershed SCBFWM project has successfully established 10 environment protection groups (KPL) in Banjarnegara and Wonosobo. The project also created demonstration plots or pilot area for land rehabilitation in at least eight villages (eight examplary villages).

In 2011, Tulis subwatershed SCBFWM project tried to develop the model villages, increase the capacity of farmer group and bureaucracy officials, facilitate Banjarnegara roadmaps, and coordinate the programme with various stakeholders.

The effort to rehabilitate land in Dieng region, especially in Tulis subwatershed is strengthened by the establishment of Working Team for Rehabilitation of Dieng Areas (TKPKD) in Banjarnegara. Facilitated by SCBFWM, TKPKD formulated their work plan to handle the problem in Dieng region.

Banjarnegara Regent/Bupati, Sutedjo Slamet Utomo, said that the roadmaps for Dieng region is a comprehensive plan integrating every plan and its execution along with the project implementation during a certain period. The formulation of this roadmap is the first step and Banjarnegara District commitment to rehabilitate Dieng region in 2012-2016 period.

For the long-term commitment, Banjarnegara District issued local regulation regarding Serayu watershed, making Banjarnegara the first District in Indonesia who has local regulation regarding watershed management.

To ensure an effective implementation of the watershed regulation, Hadi Supeno, Banjarnegara deputy regent established Serayu Watershed Task Force as the daily executing agencies.

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Th e t a s k fo rce w i l l be g iven a f lex ib le and loose mandate regarding bureaucracy, making them easier to function. They could recruit members from various agencies, like related SKPD, private sectors, BUMN, NGOs, environment organizations, Youth Movement, and others.

There are several strategic issues related to the complex problems in Dieng region. They are environmentally friendly

forest and land utilization management, development of on farm and off farm alternative economic resources, capacity building of human resources to support environmentally friendly forest and land management that could offer maximum alternative income for farmers.

“We feel that SCBFWM brought something different. We felt that this project is making community based watershed conservation plan, because land and water conservation would be more effective if it involves the community,’ Drs. Setiawan, M.Hum, Head of Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) of Banjarnegara District, said.

The key is, according to Setiawan, implementing productive economy, which has conservation value. “We, from the local government, tried to assist the SCBFWM project with out Local Government Institution (SKPD) programme,” he said.

One of the examples is a training to improve coffee and Eucalyptus growing technique facilitated with budget from BAPPEDA, including the provision of coffee refining machine. “We also cooperated with Orange and Sub-tropical Research Agency located in Malang, East Java to develop orange 55,” Setiawan said.

From potatoes to purwacengOne of the community-based organizations who received aids from SCBFWM is CBO Perkasa,

based in Kalilembu village, Dieng Sub-District, Wonosobo District. According to Hakimudin, the secretary of CBO Perkasa 2, before SCBFWM came, his group tried to cultivate potatoes but they failed because the price was not satisfying. “The price of an organic potato was the same with the regular one, while it should be more expensive,” he said.

Potato cultivation practice that started in Dieng circa 1980 is the major reason of land and forest degradation in Dieng Plateau. Dien region comprises of 55,000 ha of land and around 20,000 ha of it is located in Banjarnegara District and has been conversed into potato plantation.

At the beginning, the plantation indeed make the farmers prosperous, but the characteristic of potato that could not live under any other plants compelled farmers to cut down trees to open new land for the cultivation.

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Hardwood trees that cut down. There are no longer trees with strong, deep roots that could absorb water from rainfall. Slowly but sure, fertile soils were carried away by the stream, creating degraded lands that could be seen across Dieng region. The quality of Dieng agriculture land also dropped. As a result, the income of potato farmers also continued declining. Potatoes, which were beneficial, has now become harmful.

Realizing that the community could not depend on potato cultivation in the future, SCBFWM project came in 2010, and CBO Perkasa 2 used the small grant they received for Carica seedlings provision. Carica is Dieng’s indigenous papaya-like plants that besides having conservation value has economic value.

Carica could be processed into beverages and dr ied snacks that could improve the community’s economic condition. “Right now, the community could already harvest and enjoy Carica plants that have been planted since 2010. In 2012, we also planted tamarillos that could also started being harvested,” Hakimudin said.

Hakimudin realized that he and his group is going to get old. Rehabilitating the land and its fertility in Dieng region is the only hope for them to provide fertile agriculture land for their grandchildren.

One of the programmes that they are proud of is purwaceng development programme facilitated by SCBFWM. Purwaceng (Pimpinella pruatjan) is an herbal plant from the genus Apiaceae.

Purwaceng is processed into powder and it is well known for its ability to increase someone’s stamina since ancient times. Purwaceng could be found in mountain region, including Dieng Plateau, Central Java.

According to Hakimudin, purwaceng is a conservation plant that could cover the land and control erosion. “Beside, this plant does not need pesticide, and it could be grown organically,’ he said.

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Purwaceng is ready for harvest after 9 months. “We harvest its roots and leaves. Wet [roots and leaves] could be sold for around Rp50,000-100,000 a kilo, while the dried one could be sold around Rp500.000-600,000 kilo,” he said.

Not only increasing men’s productivity and vitality, SCBFWM also gave livestock and Carica processing machine so that women group of CBO Perkasa 2 is capable. Right now, the members of women group of CBO Perkasa 2 is able to produce 25 kg of Carica a day in the form of various products. “There are sale, sweetened carica, beverage, and our bestselling product is kid beverage. These are our products,” Farida, the administrator of women farmer group of CBO Perkasa 2, said.

It is no doubt that CBO Perkasa 2 has now become more confident with their skills to become independent and well organized. They are already determined to restore soil fertility and improve the welfare of the surrounding community. “We are ready to become independent. SCBFWM would be in vain if we are not independent,” Ma’ruf, the leader of CBO Perkasa, said firmly.

enjoying Food, Water, and energy SecurityIt seems that they

c o m m u n i t y l i v i n g i n Pegundungan v i l lage , Pejawaran Sub-District, Banjarnegara District , could enjoy the benefits from the environment for forever. They have never thought that the location, which were sacred and haunted, could now be beneficial for them.

In that location, in Pasang block, Pegundungan village, there is swamp gas.

With only cement and pipes, the community managed to use the gas as a source of clean energy. That natural gas is now distributed 24 hours free.

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In Jakarta, only the elites could enjoy natural gas network facility like this. It could be imagined, how it feels for the community as the price of LPG keep increasing in several big cities in Indonesia.

In this Pegundungan village, SCBFWM implemented their project. Pegundungan village was once the project site of Community Based Water Supply and Sanitation (Pamsimas) programme. However, in the first year, this programme is declared a failure as the water reserve is too low and there is no access to clean water. “This was the Ministry of Public Works and BAPPEDA programme,” Ditik, SCBFWM field facilitator, said.

Tani Asri Farmer Group Association (Gapoktan) , with guidance from SCBFWM, began the efforts to conserve the land by planting hardwood trees in degraded lands, including in village-owned land. Currently, 4 ha of 6 ha village-owned land has been covered [with trees]. “There are lots of springs in that area,” Hadri Susanto, the secretary of Gapoktan Tani Asri, said.

Two years later, now that land conservation programme has been implemented by SCBFWM, Pamsimas

programme is back and it is declared successful. “The water reserves is getting larger, we successfully built the infrastructure,” Hadri said.

SCBFWM also facilitated the women to develop instant corn rice by sending two members of Tani Asri to Polytechnic of Banjarnegara to produce corn rice and modified cassava flour. “We facilitated this programme because the staple food of the community is corn rice,” Ditik said.

The community’s carbohydrate need could be met. They also planted vegetables and reared livestock on their land to save some money for their future. “Most of the people rear livestock, like chicken and cattle,” Ditik said. All supporting facilities are available. They take the fodder from the conservation area. Grasses are planted below the hardwood trees for this need.

Right now, community living in Pegundungan could enjoy food, water, and energy security. Indonesia, in a national scale, should be jealous with this little village in Dieng Plateau.

The conservation activities in Pegundungan village are getting support from KCL Wana Lestari in Pekasiran village, Batur Sub-District, Banjarnegara District.

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KCL Wana Lestari focus on hardwood tree nursery like Carica and Eucalyptus. KCL was established in 2011. They received a small grant from SCBFWM in 2012. KCL activity is based on their leader’s skill, Isnuhardi, in sowing Eucalyptus seedlings and his concern over the land condition in Dieng Plateau. “We are concerned, seeing that 200 ha of Perhutani land is in such a bad condition,” he said.

KCL then tried to motivate the community to implement conservation programme. “Currently we already have village regulation [regarding the matter]. The community has now planted 2,500 a year. Conservation Programme has been included in the Village Medium Development Planning,” he added.

According to Isnuhardi, thanks to SCBFWM project, the community is now more familiar with hardwood trees. “Because previously, Dieng region is covered with potato plantation. They now realize that in the rainy season, hardwood trees could prevent erosion and landslide,” he continued.

Around 60,000 Eucalyptus and Carica seedlings successfully sown by KCL Wana Lestari. “We are planning to plant on 800 ha of the village land,” Isnuhardi said. For the beginning, KCL has reforested 250 ha of land to restrict land use.

Testimonies from the Local Government Institution (SKPD)

Narjan, Head of Programme Section of BPDAS Serayu Opak ProgoWe hope that CBO is still guided and granted fund allocation, at least group guidance. Do not

let them work alone. CBO members are conservation agents. We expected guidance from central government (Jakarta), BAPPEDA, Forestry sector, Agriculture sector, BLH, and private sector.

To ensure the sustainability of this programme, we will formulate an MDM (Micro Watershed Model) for Tulis watershed. We will build SPAS (River Streamflow Observation Station) in several regions, coordinating with the related parties to conserve Tulis watershed.

BPDAS will allocate fund to discuss this matter through focus group discussion (FGD). “The goal is by one year, the Micro Watershed Model plan has been formulated,” Narjan said.

Yosi Christiana Dewi, Kasubid Spatial Planning, SDA, and LH, BAPPEDA of Banjarnegara DistrictSCBFWM project is such a breakthrough. Working Team for Dieng Rehabilitation (TKPD) was

established consisting of first echelon officials. Village regulation was issued and there is an awareness to support SCBFWM activities.

We should focus on making farmers prosperous and protecting the environment. There should a synergy among the Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment Service.

The key of Banjarnegara success is Dieng region roadmaps. We have Government Regulation 37 and Banjarnegara deputy regent is interested in promoting Serayu. We could not promote the region if the environment is not protected.

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We admit that the formulation process of village regulation regarding watershed was not perfect yet. There needs to be a replication because there are worse regions than Tulis subwatershed.

Firman Sapta Adi, Kasubid Agriculture and Forestry, BAPPEDA of Banjarnegara DistrictThis SCBFWM project is great because there is guidance. This kind of project should be continued

because 3 years is only a short period. “Just to formulate a regulation needs a year. We have not disseminate the newly issued village regulation regarding watershed. How come we could replicate this [in other regions]?” he said.

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Part SixSCBFWM as A Seed for Empowering the

Community Lessons learned from Besiam Subwatershed Nusa Tenggara Timur

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In Besiam Subwatershed, Nusa Tenggara Timur, in the past, there were strong customary regulations that managed the collective use of newly opened agriculture lands in this area. However, these customary regulations have been weakened due to social and economic pressures. Local farmers in Besiam Subwatershed now convert forest areas into new agricultural lands, as they cannot generate sufficient incomes from the existing lands.

The causes are limited infrastructure (bad roads, etc.), weak marketing networks (where middle men/collectors still play critical roles while there is no cooperative or alternative micro-credit scheme for farmers), as well as limited skills in processing agricultural products. The cycle of shifting cultivation system practiced by the communities has been shortened due to decreasing availability of lands and increasing population.

The vegetation in Besiam Subwatershed, especially on Mutis Mountain, which is a forest-covered plateau, is homogenous, dominated by Eucalyptus urophylla ecosystem. The soil is quite susceptible to erosion due to the lack of vegetation cover.

E x t e n s i v e a n i m a l husbandry and uncontrolled forest fires posed a threat to forest sustainability in this region. Mutis mountain conservat ion area was degraded due to forest encroachment, threatening the unique biodiversity in this region. Forest encroachment occurred due to economic pressure.

The condition in Nusa Tenggara Timur is indeed

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different from other SCBFWM project sites. In this region, when SCBFWM came, that was the first time a community empowerment programme is implemented. Local community’s gratitude for the guidance and assistance provided by SCBFWM is evident from the testimonials of CBOs’ administrators and members.

According to Agustinus Tapatab, the leader of CBO Tunas Baru, at first his group received nursery training from SCBFWM in June 2010. The training given by SCBFWM developed their enthusiasm. “At first, we were asked to plant 10,000 seedlings, but because we were so enthusiastic, we develop the nursery into 14,000 seedlings,” Agustinus said.

Now, many CBO members have already had a way to generate income, be it for the long term, medium term, or long term, thanks to the empowerment carried out by SCBFWM. The group’s economic independency would of course release the pressure over forest and land degradation.

Supports for SCBFWM programme are evident from the testimonies given by government officials and Local Government Institution (SKPD). Djadid Alkatiri, Head of Watershed Management Regional Office of Benain Noelmina,

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said that SCBFWM is a community empowerment campaign that directly reach grassroots community. “So if the programme ends, it would be such a shame because this is a very good campaign for our future,” he said.

“visit Nusa tenggara timur”“If you want to see the real

condition of SCBFWM community empowerment programme, you should visit Nusa Tenggara Timur,” Alfons Seran, SCBFWM Regional Field Facilitator of Nusa Tenggara Timur, said.

His statement is not without reason. Community empowerment undertaken by SCBFWM in Nusa Tenggara Timur started from scratch. At first, the community was trained

to build a nursery. They were given trainings regarding organizational matters, planning, aspiration seeking, administration, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation. A very intensive process.

If the community in Nusa Tenggara Timur did not open to change, the empowerment programmes would not have worked out.

As time goes, the success of SCBFWM programme starts to take shape. In the first year, the community, according to Alfons, were still trying to adapt to the programme implemented by SCBFWM. However, in the second and third years, the community began to mobilize. They voluntarily and actively involved in the programme to improve their economic condition and rehabilitate forest and land.

Nandang Sunarya, SCBFWM Regional Facilitator of Nusa Tenggara Timur, explained that there are three major successes resulted from the implementation of SCBFWM programme in NTT. The first success is the establishment of SCBFWM as a model. SCBFWM successfully created independent Community Based Organizations (CBOs) supported by the government. Coordination with related stakeholders also goes well. “The 10 CBOs in NTT are the good CBOs, the successful ones. Even though the scope of their activities are still small, but their passion is very great,” he said.

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The second success, according to Nandang, is regarding the funding. For four financial year, 60% of the funds for SCBFWM activities came from the community. “The rest of it comes from grants,” he added. For example, in 2010, the budget for SCBFWM seedling provision was only Rp1,000 a tree. According to Nandang, this price is cheaper than any project with the same programme, either APBN or BPDAS project, that could reach Rp2,500 a tree. “For the remaining Rp1,500, the community has to gather their own money. They also do not get paid,” he added.

According to Nandang, for the last 4 years, he never heard any requests coming from the CBO that were project oriented. “They did not ask many things. The community focuses on how to make the programme well implemented with this supplementary grant. That’s what makes me proud of NTT’s CBOs,” he said.

Take CBO Tunas Baru in Netpala village, Mollo Utara Sub-District, Timur Tengah Selatan District for an example. They already have a nursery where tens of thousands of trees are grown. “In 2010, when SCBFWM first came, [the CBO] had no tree at all,” he said.

The same success also experienced by CBO Tunas Muda in Nenas village, Mollo Utara Sub-District, Timur Tengah Selatan District who has beekeeping business. “They sold their honey for Rp60,000 back then, but now they could sell it for up to Rp80,000 a liter. Previously they could only sell 100 liters a year but now they could sell up to 300-400 liters a year because the packaging and promotion are better now,” Nandang said.

The third success is regarding coordination and synchronization inter-SKPD (Local Government Institution) in supporting SCBFWM community empowerment programme, including the support from Kupang regent and Timur Tengah Selatan regent.

The support came in the form of funding from SKPD that reached Rp6 billion to back SCBFWM programme in NTT. “BAPPEDA has also formulated a work plan synchronizing with other agencies. Meanwhile, Head of BPDAS committed to making SCBFWM as a model for watershed management in NTT. This model will also be implemented in other degraded watersheds like in Benain, Flores, and Sumba, funded by BPDAS and APBN,” Nandang said.

Djadid Alkatiri, Head of Watershed Management Centre of Benain Noelmina, said that SCBFWM is a community empowerment campaign that directly reach grassroots community. “So if the programme ends, it would be such a shame because this is a very good campaign for our future,” he said.

According to Djadid, BPDAS committed to ensuring the sustainability of SCBFWM programme. “From the beginning I already said that this programme will not end here. Who said that this programme would end in the middle of the year? This programme will continue being implemented. To ensure the sustainability [of this programme], together we should support it, synergizing, so that we could achieve success on the field,” he said firmly.

That determination is backed up by a strong legal basis in integrated watershed management in NTT. NTT is the first province that successfully established Local Regulation (Perda) of NTT no. 5 regarding watershed management legalized in 2008. This local regulation became the first local regulation regarding integrated watershed management in Indonesia, preceding the Government Regulation No. 37 of 2012 regarding Watershed Management. This local government also becomes a reference for similar regulations in other regions.

SCBFWM programme, according to Djadid, is very important in promoting watershed management because the more people live in the watershed, the more threatened the watershed and the more

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damaged the forest are. With SCBFWM programme, the community has side activities so that they would not damage the forest,” he said.

He is thankful that the condition of Benain Noelmina watershed is not like the one in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi. Before managing Benain watershed, Djadid was assigned to manage that region. “I am thankful that there are not many mines in here, unlike in Gorontalo, making it easier to implement SCBFWM programme. If there were mines, the community would implement the programme halfheartedly. When the community puts all of their heart supporting this programme, the chance for this programme being successful is higher compared to other sites,” he said.

CBO Tunas Muda: Collaborating in Upperwatershed ConservationEvery year, Belu District, Nusa Tenggara Timur, always gets flooded. As reported by Antara, in

June 2013, flood overflowing from Benenain River due to heavy rainfall swept away 36 villages in Malaka District, a new autonomous region resulting from the expansion of Belu District in April 2013. This region is one of the food storages area for Belu District. This flood is the biggest one since 2000.

Deep condolences for frequent disasters occurring in Belu District, and now in Malaka District, motivated many related stakeholders to formulate sustainable disaster risk management plan. Strengthening Community Based Forest and Watershed Management (SCBFWM) programme is designed to control forest and land degradation in Indonesia by restoring watershed functions and environmental services as well as empowering the community living surrounding the forest.

One of the CBOs implementing SCBFWM programme is CBO Tunas Muda in Nenas village, Mollo Utara Sub-District, Timur Tengah Selatan District. According to the leader of CBO Tunas Muda, Simon Sasi, Nenas village, which is located in upper area of a certain watershed, began to get involved with the programme since 2010.

The biggest environmental problems faced by Nenas village and the surrounding region is extensive husbandry as well as forest and land degradation. Many people still let their livestock run freely without any confinement. This extensive husbandry practice leads to erosion as well as forest and land degradation. Livestock will feed on the seedlings intended for reforestation. The region will become more barren and susceptible to landslide. There are no trees to absorb rainfall and the water could easily flows to downstream river causing flood striking Belu and Malaka Districts.

To control forest and land degradation, SCBFWM project gave incentives to Nenas village community to plant trees surrounding the watershed. In the first year, the CBO was granted Rp10 million to plant 10,000 coffee seedlings, banyan tree to preserve springs, and bamboos along the riverbank. In the second year, the community planted 4,000 Calliandra seedlings that have now become a forest.

Not only promoting forest and land rehabilitation, SCBFWM programme, according to Simon, also help the community in developing local economy. “SCBFWM really help us in conserving the environment and improving our economic condition. It has been 2 years in a row we got a stimulant from SCBFWM,” Simon said.

Examples of the stimulants granted are strainers, a labelling machine, and a refractometer for the CBO forest honey business. “We just have to bring our honey products,” Simon said.

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Before receiving guidance from SCBFWM, the community sold their honey manually in a 5-liter jerry can for Rp300,000. “Now we can process [the honey], straining and labelling them, so we could sell them for Rp400,000-500,000 a jerry can,” he said.

Currently, CBO Tunas Muda sell strained honey in a 650 ml bottle for Rp60,000. According to Simon, honey is a seasonal product. “In a year, we could harvest the honey twice,” he said. In a single harvest, in the dry season throughout May and June, Nenas village community could harvest tens of tons of honey.

Honey bee trees are distributed based on the community’s residency area. Not all CBO members have honey bee trees. “We have to prepare some money so that we could buy honey when the harvest season comes because we do not have any [honey bee] trees. In a year, we could produce up to 500 bottles,” he said. With the help from SCBFWM, CBO Tunas Muda could maintain the quality of the authencity of their forest honey product originating from Mutis Mountain. “To make them believe in us. Mutis mountain forest honey help us maintaining our health and generating income for education fund,” he said.

Currently, CBO Tunas Muda members amount to 29 individuals, including 15 female members. It is not exaggerating to say the female members have also contributed to protecting the environment. They process non-timber forest products into chips and woven cloth that would later on be sent to Kupang. “For the woven cloth, besides sending it to Kupang, we also bring it to various workshops and exhibitions. Many people are interested in Nenas village indigenous motifs.”

According to Nani, SCBFWM field facilitator of Nenas village, the women in Nenas village are permitted to get married when they are able to loom. It takes around a month to produce one woven blanket with Nenas village indigenous motif. “Besides looming, the women in this village are also active in planting activities. “The community living in Nenas village depend on vegetables like carrot, which is a non-seasonal vegetable. Their enthusiasm in planting is very high,” Simon said. “We hope that they could be supported by carrot, potato, and other vegetables seeds provision. We also hope that we are given the chance to intern in a more developed region so that we could learn from them, so we could adapt.”

Together with the other members, they have successfully planted 17 ha of land with hardwood trees. They planted Calliandra which besides functioning as firewoods, the leaves could also be used as fodder. “Because we are living surrounding a wildlife sanctuary, we are not permitted to take timber forest products from the forest anymore. Now we could just cut down trees from our fields,” Simon said.

CBO Tunas Baru was also granted 11 cattle that were distributed among the members. “Two member get 1 cattle to be reared. Two years later, each member could have one cattle from the selling of the previously reared cattle. Thus, each member would have their own cattle,” Simon said. All of the cattle are put in confinement so that they could become examples for other people who still conduct extensive husbandry.

Paulus Almed B., a CBO Tunas Muda member, hope that they could continue getting guidance and assistance in selling their forest honey. “We are thankful [to] and very enthusiastic [about this SCBFWM programme]. We could already enjoy the result through the CBO. We hope that the price of our honey product could be increased and [SCBFWM] could help us with the marketing,” he said. According to Paulus, back then, any people could just come to the forest and take anything they want. “Now that we already have a CBO, forest management is way better. There are no more animals and prawns exploitation,” he said.

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Imanuel Aoetpah, a CBO Tunas Muda member, said that their group needs help with the production of bokashi fertilizer (organic fertilizer) to support vegetable cultivation, planting practices, and forest and land rehabilitation in their village. “In our village we plant carrot all season. We also plant bell fruits, kasuari, and amppu for the hardwood trees. Agricultural practices suitable at above 1,000 m altitude are

vegetable farming and animal husbandry,” he said.As the leader of the group, Simon is sure that CBO Tunas Baru is ready to become independent. He

believes that if SCBFWM ends his group will strive to continue the conservation. “But we recommend for the stimulant and guidance continue to be given,” he added.

CBO Tunas Baru: Planting and keep on planting“Knowledge empowers people with our most powerful tool: the ability to think and decide. This

wise word comes from an American writer, Seymour Simon. From his words, we could infer that amidst limited access to information, the possibility to learn and gain knowledge could be a very wonderful and enlightening moment. This is what CBO Tunas Baru in Netpalla village, Mollo Utara Sub-District, Timur Tengah Selatan District feels.

CBO Tunas Baru was established in March 18th, 2010. According to Agustinus Tapatab, the leader of CBO Tunas Baru, at first they received nursery training from SCBFWM in June 2010. Just like when a kid gains new knowledge, CBO’s enthusiasm in planting was developed as they received the training given by SCBFWM. “At first, we were asked to plant 10,000 seedlings, but because we were so enthusiastic, we develop the nursery into 14,000 seedlings,” Agustinus said.

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In the living room where we talked, there was a dark red fruit served on the table. In a glance, this fruit looks like an overripe avocado, but if you take a closer look, its skin is so smooth like a mango. “This is an Australian red mango,” Elisa Lassa, the treasurer of CBO Tunas Baru explained. Elisa received the seeds after she went on a comparative study to Australia. Coming back home, Elisa did not only bring mango seeds, but also abiu, a sweet sapodilla-like fruit, orange, and longan seeds from Australia.

Tit for tat, nursery training from SCBFWM raised CBO’s enthusiasm in planting. They did not only develop seeds from Australia, but also mahogany, gamelina, bell fruit, teak, cassowary, and cinnamon seeds.

They planted all of these seeds on the pilot site, which comprises of 5 ha of land and in their own field. “4,000 seeds that we planted on the pilot site in 2010 has now grown,” Agustinus said. The remaining seeds were given to members (each member receive 200 seeds), church, school, and village office.

Netpalla village, which is located in the middle section of Besiam subwatershed, faces the same problem as Nenas village. Erosion, landslide, forest fires, extensive husbandry, land degradation are all home works that needs to be done by CBO Tunas Baru. SCBFWM tried to empower the community to make them able to prevent and handle disasters.

According to Agustinus, when there were people who work inside the protected forest area, forest fires frequently occurred. However, since CBO has undertaken reforestation action, including planting root vegetables, taro, and corn, every activity undertaken inside the protected area is now being monitored. “Thus, the protected forest area is now safe. They also cannot take timber products anymore,” he said.

As a result, for the past 4 years, forest fires never occurred anymore. “In 2013, we develop 500 keprok oranges [inside the protected forest area], and all of them grows well. We got the seeds from the CBO,” he said proudly.

All 14 CBO members, including 7 female members, can now enjoy the result of SCBFWM project. Their economic condition also keeps getting better. They can already imagine the result they could

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get from planting hardwood trees in the long run and they could use it to pay their grandchildren’s needs and tuition fee, for the next generation.

“We have also planted long-lived trees. Back then, I could never get my hand on timber product from a whole tree. After SCBFWM came, now we have mahogany, gamelina, and 3,000 coffee plants. Not to forget, we also have a mother tree, orange, Australian longan and local longan. We have 8 varieties of mango and abiyu. Everybody is happy now and they have this passion to plant,” Elisa said.

This becomes an additional income to their livelihood that they generate from growing and selling of fruit seeds like orange, mango, and longan, as well as abiyu and vegetables. Meanwhile, their intensive cattle husbandry would generate income 2 to 3 years later.

According to Elisa, one Australian red mango could be sold for Rp5,000 for the stone. “While for the seed, we could sell it for Rp25,000 for one tree. We can say this because we have proof. We manage 3 ha of agroforestry land. In 2012, we have banana nursery comprising of Ambon, Deli, Mas, Kulit Nangka, Beranga, and other varieties. We master all nursery techniques,” she said proudly.

Until now, the CBO has sold 2,000 various seedlings with the average price of Rp600 a seedling. “We have an order from the District Forestry Service for 2,500 mahogany tree seedlings. They bought from us because our group is meticulous and transparent,” she added.

According to Agustinus, when SCBFWM ends, his group will not be disbanded. “Our group has been tied down by SCBFWM,” he said. The group now has 12 cattle, distributed for each member. CBO Tunas Baru, in total, has received 14 cattle from SCBFWM. “We had a group back then, but it was not this active. After the CBO was established, the group is still standing strong even after 4 years. All members have felt how well the group activities carried out. Everybody could enjoy the benefits,” Agustinus added.

Elisa seconded Agustinus, saying that the group has achieved much progress. “We are proud and pleased with the progress. Public figures, religious leaders, and the community have recognized the benefits [of the establishment of the CBO and SCBFWM programme]. Thanks to the training given by SCBFWM,” she said.

According to Neno To Tabela Oematan, SCBFWM field facilitator assisting CBO Tunas Baru, the community’s motivation to plant in Netpalla village is very evident. “I’m one of the locals, and I know very well that back then, the community had no interest in planting. Having been trained by SCBFWM,

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the community is now enthusiastic in planting. They shared the seedlings to church, schools, and community at large. They like planting now,” she said.

Because they live surrounding protected forest area, Neno said, back then, many people damage the forest. As a solution, CBO Tunas Baru planted Calliandra. “Calliandra is a trim-resistant plant. If you trim it, it could just grow back easily. This is a preliminary conservation that we could utilize for firewoods,” Neno continued.

CBO Tunas Baru has also self-prepared 7,000 seedlings as an anticipation for the Community Nursery (KBR) programme from the government. “The benefit of this SCBFWM programme is very evident. The group does not wait for help anymore. If they could do it themselves, they will do it.” Nino said. “After the programme ends, this village could be a seedling center. Our group has also self-developed 3,000 Kartika coffee seedlings,” he continued.

“Sir, Ma’am, please don’t go yet”Bonmuti village is located in

Amfoang Tenah Sub-District, Kupang District, Nusa Tenggara Timur. This village is one the villages located within upper Besiam subwatershed that has an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level.

It is not easy to get to this village. From this village, CBO Bonmeni, one of the CBOs guided by SCBFWM, originated. When the rainy season comes, even four-wheeled vehicle will have troubles

to reach this village. The only options is to take either motorcycle or a walk.

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Savanna and bushes dominate 93% of Bonmuti village. The rest of the region is secondary forest, agriculture land, and plantation. Bonmuti village topography that is very steep and mountainous has already been severely damaged. Landslide and erosion occurred frequently across the village. When the dry season comes, the land becomes arid and barren due to lack of soil nutrient.

Several effects of the ecological damage felt by the community in Bonmuti village are drought and lack of clean water for drinking, bathing, washing, and cleaning. This effect could really be felt from August to early December. According to Eximus Lasa, the treasurer of CBO Bonmeni in Bonmudit village, the climate in Nusa Tenggara Timur is almost similar. Nine months of dry season and three months of rainy season.

A small grant from SCBFWM is meant to promote forest and land conservation so when the dry season comes, they could still have access to clean water and also to improve the community’s economic condition as well as to protect the environment.

In 2011, when SCBFWM came for the first time, CBO Bonmeni received a nursery training at the Vocation Training Centre in Soe Sub-District, Timur Tengah Selatan District. SCBFWM provided 10,000 coffee seedlings and 760 pecan seeds. “The coffee plantation was not that successful because

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we did not have the protection trees yet, while for the pecan, the success rate was less than 60%,” Eximus said.

Their failure with the coffee plantation did not seem to wear down CBO members’ enthusiasm in protecting the environment. “Their interest was in fact increasing,” he said. The following year, 30 members of CBO Bonmeni representing 3 gampong planted coffee again, this time with 5,000 calliandra seedlings on the 4 ha of village-owned pilot garden.

This time, their hard work paid off. “The calliandra flowers have bloomed and now we have protection trees for the coffee plants. Not only on the pilot garden, had we also planted them on the community’s field. We planted bell fruits on 0.5 ha piece of land surrounding 3 different springs,” Heximus said.

With the help of SCBFWM, reforestation effort surrounding the spring was also followed by building terraces to prevent erosion. A small dam and a pond were also constructed to help the irrigation and supply clean water for the community and CBO headquarter.

After more than 3 years, now, the community in Bonmuti village could really enjoy the benefits of SCBFWM project. “Back then in 2009, we had to

wait for the water until 1 or 2 a.m. When the dry season came in early September, we did not have access to any water. We had to walk more than 1 km just to get clean water. Now, even until mid-November, we can still get access to clean water,” Eximus said. The pond also helped the community to meet their needs. “However, we need 2 or 3 more ponds because 1 pond is only enough for 1 gampong,” he continued.

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Coffee plantation, which was established in 2011, can now be harvested and it could generate an additional income. “We had to buy everything back then. We also planted mahogany and white teak. Nowadays, everybody is racing to plant more [trees],” Eximus explained.

According to Eximus, SCBFWM programme has helped CBO members to fulfill the household needs up until the future even though they only have a limited piece of land. “That’s why we

hope this program could be continued. There are many other programmes, like husbandry, beekeeping, and credit union that are in progress with a total fund of Rp3 million,” he said. Their honey that was sold for Rp160,000 per 5-litre jerry can could now be sold for Rp260,000 or even Rp500,000 per 5-litre jerry can, thanks to packaging, straining, and labelling assistance from SCBFWM

As if it is a competition, CBO Bibona in Oheim village, Amfoang Selatan Sub-District, also planted to prevent erosion, not only on the community’s land, but also on village-owned land.

According to Mesak Tapatab, the leader of CBO Bibona, since 2010, his group has planted 16,000 tree seeds including mahogany and gamelina planted on a piece of land owned by 40 members of the CBO and the community.

In 2011, CBO Bibona was granted 40 pigs distributed to 20 CBO permanent members. The following year, this group developed their beekeeping business with 20 new beehives. “We could already generate income from our honey production. We harvest the honey every 2-3 months. We could get 60 liters each harvest and we sell it for Rp100,000 a liter,” Mesak said. Since 2013, CBO Bibona has been able to establish credit union with an Rp3 million start-up capital. “Right now, the base capital for this credit union has reached Rp6 million,” Mesak added.

Kosam Tapatab, a member of CBO Bibona, is one of the members that truly feel the benefits of SCBFWM activities. “Honestly there are so many benefits from this programme. This programme increased our motivation and hope for our children in the future by preserving the nature by planting. Our group have also become independent. Hopefully there are other parties in NTT that could give other kinds of aids, not abandoning our group,” he said. The abandoned lands, according to Kosam, have now been reforested. “We are happy if there are more trainings. We are ready,” he continued.

According to Mesak, CBO Bibona members have many assets now, like livestock, fish, and thousands of trees. “We have 10,000 trees for each 3-member. We gained profit. We could use the money for our children and grandchildren education fee. We still have an extensive land so we will keep rehabilitating them. When the harvest season comes, from one orange tree, we could generate Rp2-3 million. Currently, we have already planted 500 trees and the nursery keeps going,” he said.

The success of the CBO in Amfoang Tengah Sub-District is still in the preliminary stage and other groups have not followed it. According to Mesak, many people in Amfoang Tengah Sub-District are still primitive in farming. They are still employing shifting cultivation system with slash and planting system. “CBO members, besides the local government and related services, play a role to teach them

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a lesson. All this time, they have a green land, but it is not productive,” Mesak said. Therefore, it is not exaggerating when Eximus Lasa wished, “Sir, Ma’am, please don’t go yet, we still need your guidance.”

“SCBFWM CREATED PRESTIGE AMOnG THE COMMUnITy In TERM OF EnvIROnMEnTAL COnSERvATIOn”

Yandri Lasi, Division Head of Forestry, Forestry and Plantations Services of Kupang District.

How is your opinion regarding SCBFWM programme that has been implemented for the last 4 years?Firstly, last year [2013], we inventoried forest and plant potentials on SCBFWM guided lands,

and honestly, we are proud of what SCBFWM has achieved. We already have the data. Currently we have a forest moratorium policy to ban any kinds of forest cutting. We are really helped by SCBFWM especially for several regions which geographically difficult to reach. We also gave KBR and they could utilize it.

Secondly, I feel is great about one particular programme. The bartering programme. If someone wants cattle, s/he has to plant trees. I think this programmes is great since it help us to rehabilitate properties on which there is extensive husbandry practice. The community then must confine their livestock if they do not want to be fined by SCBFWM [due to causing forest and land degradation].

In your opinion, could SCBFWM programme be developed further with assistance from related SKPD?

The main point is community empowerment. Up until now, there is a lack of guidance from related services due to limited extension agencies and limited extent. SCBFWM programme give us a chance to develop and understand more about community empowerment in water catchment area in Amfoang Utara, Barat Daya, and Barat Laut. If this area is every destructed, the area below this area will also be destructed. SCBFWM has the instrument to reach these villages that could stay and mingle with the community, encourage the community’s participation, and rehabilitate degraded lands. We support that because we do not have enough labor.

Many CBOs have told us about the benefit of this programme to the environment, including preserving springs and preventing drought. What do you think about that?

It could make farmers work more effectively because back then they had to go very far to get water. I saw that SCBFWM has constructed ponds and there are new springs formed because the environment has been preserved. I am interested with this kind of programme.

Has there been any coordination with the related SKPD to create a similar programme?We realize that replicating this programme is an important matter. Community empowerment

programme has yet to reach remote villages due to lack of funding, and the previous empowerment programme did not use community-based approach. They only got incentives for rehabilitating degraded lands. This is only a form of preliminary participation. Empowerment should dig deeper using an approach based on anthropology, family, and local norms. That is what is important. We will

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replicate this for sure, but we do not have enough money. I think the collaboration with SCBFWM is very interesting because we could collaborate our programme too.

In your opinion, how is the exit strategy of this programme?What I am afraid of is that at the end of this programme, the community will lose an anchor,

no more guidance when the programme ends leading to a stagnation. That is because we could not provide funding for CBOs like SCBFWM did. However, we hope that CBOs could continue play their role and we from the service will continue support them in a way so the programme could continue.

The important thing is that whatever their plan is, they run it through us, report it to us. That is important to keep the link established by SCBFWM. The key is a good communication between CBOs and SKPD. We have facilitated this.

We hope in the future, there is a collaboration programme [among SKPD] following SCBFWM model to make it sustainable. We raise community’s awareness, starting from the children, teenagers, until adults until they could stand on their own feet.

We even hope that an empowerment programme like SCBFWM could be a reference for the Ministry of Forestry’s juklak (implementation guidelines) and juknis (technical guidelines). We, the District officials, are the executing agencies. We get special allocation fund (DAK), but the implementation guidelines should follow SCBFWM model. Thus, the budgeting and implementation are clear, like there is a process that should followed starting from empowering the community, implementation the programme, and monitoring and evaluation.

If they give us the implementation guidelines, we will surely walk in that corridor. All this time, the implementation guidelines are not flexible. Just let us do what SCBFWM did because we are sure that this is the right process.

In addition, there should be community empowerment?Right, because in our budgeting structure there is no empowerment programme. The empowerment

programme should follow a process like the one SCBFWM did. If there is an implementation guideline, we will definitely carry it out. It should be noted that SCBFWM programme reduce the cost and expand our service area for degraded land rehabilitation. A conventional programme is just too expensive and we could not see the result, especially for the management and guidance parts.

Managing the forest is not only planting trees, but there is an anthropological process that should make the community understand this programme. SCBFWM programme make the community proud in planting trees and make them find prestige in saving the environment.

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“The community still hope for SCBFWM”

Alfons Seran, SCBFWM field facilitator in NTT

What has changed since the intervention of SCBFWM programme 4 years ago?One of the most interesting changes resulted from SCBFWM programme is the community’s

attitude and mindset. People living there get limited information, so they need some time to adapt to new programme and sometimes it poses its own problem.

After guiding them through the process, they are actually very interested with the programme and there has been some changes since a couple years ago. In 2010 they took the time to adapt [to the programme], they began to change [their mindset] in 2011, and in 2012 they began to develop further what has been implemented.

For example in Bonmuti, the participation level is very high and it could be seen from their changed attitude. In 2010, when we first came, they knew nothing about nursery. After we gave them nursery training, they became motivated, and they know voluntarily manage the nursery.

They have also prepared seedlings for next year, like 10,000 coffee seedlings, and mahogany, gamelina, as well as sengon seedlings because coffee plants need protection.

Secondly, it should also be noted that they are willing to adapt [to the programme] and they are ready to become independent. That is what makes me proud.

What are the obstacles in guiding them?There are many obstacles. First is their understanding level. In average, their highest education

level is junior high. They could produce commodities, like forest honey, ginger, turmeric, empon-empon, and coffee, in a large number, but it was very difficult for them to sell the commodities.

There are several reasons for that. For a starter, the infrastructure, in this case the road is very bad. Then, their resident is too far from the market. Especially in Bonmuti and Binafon village, the community needs to walk up to 16 kilometers to the District just to sell their yields. There are two local markets there, in their District and in Timur Tengah Selatan District. If they live at the border, they also have to walk tens of kilometers too.

They have their yields but most of the time, they just surrender to the condition because it was hard for them to sell their yields. As an addition, they have very limited access to information, new technologies and innovations. Rarely did extension agents go there. They were motivated to adopt some innovations but nobody brought the innovations to there. Once again, it is about accessibility.

Having seen the progress after 4 years, when this project ends, in your opinion, what should be done to the groups?

For the future, their financial condition should keep being improved. The average income of the community living there is only Rp750,000-1,250,000 and some of them did not receive cash as their monthly income, rather traded goods. Actually, financial problem is still their major problem.

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Moreover, honestly, they said they still need SCBFWM programme because after all this time, the one programme that could really empower them is SCBFWM programme. NGO has never offered any empowerment programme. There were Anggur Merah (Government Fund for the Community) and PNPM but they did not focus on community empowerment. They just gave revolving fund and infrastructure.

For government, if they want to create a programme, they need to come directly to the village, ask what they need, hear them, guide them, do not just give them money and infrastructure because money could not solve their problem. It will just spoil them and make them ask for more.

Starting in 2012, the community began to show their capability in working on their own. That means, if they are really guided, they will not care about how big the money is. Furthermore, they are willing and ready to change as long as there are someone or something that keeps motivate and guide them, because to change their characters it would take at least 4-5 years.

Is there a need to create a new programme?There is indeed. For farmers in the village, they really need intervention from outside parties

because without any intervention, their life will not change. Since Indonesia gained freedom in 1945 until now, their life has never changed.

They need a programme that could empower them, or more importantly, a programme that is related to micro financing that is not too big on the budget but has a very big empowerment value. For them, money is not the most important thing. Money is only a stimulant. If they are motivated, they will not see how big the money is.

Testimonies from the Local Government Institution (SKPD)

Samuel K. Boru, Division Head of Forest and Land Rehabilitation, Forestry Service of Timur Tengah Selatan District

“The biggest change is the community’s mindset. At the beginning, it is very hard to deal with their habits and attitude. Nevertheless, with the help of SCBFWM, out of 10 people, 4 of them has changed, and 2 of them is in the right track to change. The rest of those 10 people are still uncertain. They changed, but they came back to their old habit. Actually it depends on their education level and needs.”

According to Samuel, the key of SCBFWM success to change the community’s mindset is in the guidance. “The programme also goes according to the community’s needs and participation. SCBFWM also recruited key figures to be involved in the programme,” he said.

According to Samuel, at the beginning, the government who endorsed this programme still thought that the community was nothing but the object. That is why at the beginning it was a little bit ambiguous. However, after SCBFWM took a run, the government began to realize that they should listen to the community more and not think about the goal. They also realized that they should not just impose something that they deem good for the community while actually that thing does not go in line with what the community needs.

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The government realized that the community has their own limitation and a lack of knowledge. “CBO has their own knowledge and skill. If they are not guided regularly, their mindset and the way they work would also be different,” Boru continued.

Ony O.C. Ataupah, Head of Forestry Service of Timur Tengah Selatan District, NTT“I will only say this. SCBFWM programme has helped improving the community’s financial

condition and we are glad for that. The community could feel the result and we hope that this programme could be sustainable.”

“Community’s participation in this programme is still limited. In the future, this participation should be increased. We will coordinate with related stakeholders to support this programme.”

Johanis Benu, Division Head of Finance, BAPPEDA, Timur Tengah Selatan DistrictFirstly, the local government is thankful for the existence of SCBFWM programme because

this programme is in line with the vision and mission of the local government, which one of them is regarding the environment. In the implementation for the last couple of years, the community could really feel the result of this programme. We will coordinate with various sectors to support SCBFWM programme, including with the Agriculture Service, Forestry Service, BAPPEDA, Water Resources Management (PSDA) Service, and other extension agencies.

The point is that the government is helped with this programme. The government assists the programme by creating other programmes aiming at supporting SCBFWM activities in SCBFWM pilot sites and we could already see those programmes running.

For the time being, we could only assist the programme. We will look for other programmes related to SCBFWM activities and request that programme to be included, for example reforestation programme, seedling nursery, and environmental training. We documented them all. We have to monitor the activities agreed upon and observe the existing CBOs. Luckily, we have a budget for monitoring activity. We will formulate that in one file.

We hope that SCBFWM does not end as it is planned. We have sent official letter to the central government to continue this programme because it is very beneficial.

We protect the upperwatershed because if it is destructed, then it will not take long until the mid-section and downstream are destructed too. SCBFWM vision and mission focus on that matter and it is government’s commitment.

The government support the conservation effort by issuing several regulations like local regulation regarding spatial planning, General Spatial Plan, local regulation regarding environmental management of 2008, and PES.

There are no problems in continuing SCBFWM programme. We just need to sit together and discuss the formulation of a model that we could agree upon and make it into one official document that has binding power that contains a detailed account of programme formulation, personnel, and budgeting. We could be the initiator, but we have to involve BAPPEDA and DPRD too.

We also have watershed for that were established through the Regent SK. In the future, community empowerment is not the government’s responsibility only but also Non-Government Organizations’ (NGOs) so that all undertaken activities could have marginal value and could be sustainable. There need to be a good communication and coordination in the future.

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Neltji H. Ati, Sub-Division Head of Finance I, BAPPEDA, Timur Tengah Selatan DistrictCommunity empowerment has been discussed earlier when there was a meeting between SKPD

and SCBFWM. At that time, we agreed that as we moved closer to 2014, SCBFM role should be smaller, while local government and community’s roles should get bigger.

For 2014, the guidance should focus on SKPD active role [in implementing the programme]. For example, some CBOs already have credit union. The Cooperatives, Industry, and Trade Service could undertake the guidance then.

“Field Extension Agents (PPL) of Forestry Service have also expressed their willingness to be involved. Therefore, by the time field facilitator stops guiding the CBOs, PPL could continue their duty. We should discuss about this further in order to have a more detailed understanding about the cooperation and to reaffirm the commitment.

We are also interested with the independent organizations resulting from SCBFWM programme. Currently we are formulating the RJPMD and incorporating Independent Village as a target by replicating community empowerment model from SCBFWM. Because what we came to understand is that if the community is independent that we could reduce the poverty level. In the future, we should create a model of community empowerment and independent village starting from the establishment of independent organizations.

Febrianto I. Salukh, Coordinating Division Head of Spatial Planning and Development Collaboration (KPK2P), BAPPEDA, Kupang District

In general, SCBFWM programme really helped the community living in Kupang, especially those living surrounding Besiam subwatershed. Thanks to them, we now have an empowerment programme that aim to improve community’s livelihood in agriculture sector including beekeeping and tree planting for 7 to 10 years later.

Yes, we have yet enjoyed the result, but all activities related to forest management are like that, like development of beekeeping, silkworm, fishery, and animal husbandry. Forest can be conserved if the community living surrounding it could be sustainably empowered, making it harmonious. There are non-timber forest products that could be utilized.

In our opinion, the one program that could really unite the heard and mind of related SKPD is clean water service. We have to continue provide access for clean water to save the environment and improve the community’s financial condition. This could be our way in. This is our chance to synergize, because community empowerment does not involve one SKPD but it involves intersectorial SKPD.

SCBFWM could be implemented in other regions besides Besiam subwatershed. Do not stop here. We could replicate it in other regions.

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Part SevenUnited in Watershed Conservation Lessons

learned from Jangkok Subwatershed, Nusa Tenggara Barat

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Jangkok subwatershed is located in Dodokan Watershed, Nusa Tenggara Barat Province. The community living here, especially Sesaot community, has long hold a tradition to protect the forest. They have a customary institution called Lang-Lang whose members are customarily respected and chosen to protect the forest.

The local community has been cultivating crops on the forest area using mixed-cropping system for tens of years. The average piece of land owned by the community is relatively small, only 0.44 ha a household (KK). About 26.62% of them still live below the poverty line.

They are forced to open new agriculture land because the income generated from cultivating crops on their already existing land is not enough.

They still lack of skills in processing agriculture products, as well as access to funding and marketing network. Middle men still play a critical role because there is no institution like credit union and they do not have access to, for example, micro credit scheme, that could be an alternative funding for farmers.

Financial pressure and rising BBM (fuel) price have led the community to return to firewoods as their resources for household energy. Many people sold firewoods to middlemen who would later supply the firewoods to tobacco industry in Nusa Tenggara Barat province. This practice lead to forest and land degradation.

Dodokan Watershed is also rich with biodiversity. It is categorized as protected forest area. However, this region is very susceptible to erosion with sedimentation rate as much as 773.53 ton/ha/year.

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The population pressure is very high. Each household in average manage 0.5 ha piece of land. As a result, Mount Rinjani National Park, Grand Forest Park, and Tourist Park are degraded. This condition posed a serious threat to the endemic flora and fauna.

In Nusa Tenggara Barat Province, SCBFWM is implemented in West Lombok District and Mataram City. According to Zaenal Abidin, the secretary of Community Empowerment Agency (BPM) of Mataram city, the environmental problem faced by Mataram city is waste management. “The most crucial problem of Mataram city is waste management that has to be dealt by the women everyday. The volume of waste per day could reach 1,200 m3 and we have not even been able to manage 20% of it,” he said.

To handle this waste problem, the municipal government tried to empower the community to reduce and recycle the waste. For that purpose, BPM, together with the Environment Agency (BLH) had prepared a budget to restore the river function in Jangkok. “The river would be the city’s waterfront. It would be an art center, a tourist center. BPM also created River Protection Community to ensure the preservation of the river. Those are the vision and mission of Mataram city,” Zaenal explained.

On e of t h e g ro u p s that creatively handle this waste prob lem i s KWT S e r u n i w h o r e c e i v e d guidance from SCBFWM. Ir. Zaenuddin, Section Head o f E n v i ro n m e n t a l L a w Enforcement, Environment Agency of Mataram city, said, “We have Kali Ancar programme that involves 38 groups in 10 Sub-Districts in accordance with their business practices. One of the groups that we could see in action is KWT Seruni. We also have

organic waste management programme and composting programme,” he added.The condition in the downstream is different. In West Lombok District, one of SCBFWM

established groups that is well known for their perseverance is CBO Sinar Pemancingan from Jembatan Gantung village, Lembar Sub-District, West Lombok District. “From 2003 to 2007 we experienced water shortages, but there is this one spring inside a cave that could last for a long time. A spring that we could preserve,” he said.

West Lombok District also had a breakthrough programme to create IMP (Multiparty Institution) to manage PES.

According to Putu Swastika, Division Head of Production of Forestry Service, West Lombok District, the forest provides water and the water is sold to the community. “In order to preserve the spring, there is an initiative from PDAM (Local Clean Water Companies) to charge Rp1,000 a customer as PES (Payment of Enviromental Service),” Putu said.

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In West Lombok District, there are 27,000 PDAM customers so every month there are Rp27 million incoming funds to help the community, including SCBFWM established groups. “For the city, we received Rp500 million a year from the Municipal [for this environmental services], so in a year we have Rp700 million,” he said.

IMP (Multistakeholder Institution) was established based on West Lombok Regent Regulation No. 7 of 2009. This regulation involves all local institutions, not only the Forestry Service. “So we do not regulate and manage [the environment] at the same time,” Putu said.

West Lombok District could also be proud this local regulation of IMP is the first and only one in Indonesia. “We do not have to depend on the central government all the times. If the regulation is beneficial, we could pass it,” Putu said.

Those two initiatives could be a funding and community empowerment model for those who live in watersheds. If this programme is realized, this could be a synergizing empowerment.

According to Sigit Pujosetiono, Head of BPDAS Mulyosari Dodokan, “SCBFWM serves well as a model, and it needs to be maintained and replicated to other groups. The group has to be independent and not relying on aids from government or other organizations. The solution is sustainable empowerment,” he said.

KWt Seruni: Saving the environment with recyclingIt was a good day in Karang Baru village, Narmada Sub-District, Mataram city, Nusa Tenggara

Barat. Several women gathered in a terrace. Faizatul Fatati sat in the middle while holding a cutter. Her hands are so skillful in cleaning used mineral water plastic cups.

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Having been cleaned, the rim of the plastic cups is then trip in circular until, remaining the top circle part of the plastic cup. This will be cleaned up again by burning the side to make it neat. “Getting burned or cut by a cutter is a common thing,” she said while laughing.

These cups are then arranged and tied together with synthetic ropes, formed into various kinds of product like tote bag, lamp cover, and inke (fruit basket). Faizatul Fatati, who is the secretary of KWT Seruni, and her group’s hard work now began to bear fruit.

The group who was established in March 25th, 2011 is now trusted to empower and give training for the community in recycling waste, especially plastic waste, into products that have artistic and economic value.

Thousands of people have received training from KWT Seruni. They have also synergized with other groups to collect waste and establish waste banks as well as produce various things from plastic waste.

“We joined SCBFWM programme in 2013. In the first phase, we undertook home garden utilization, plastic waste recycling, and vegetable nursery development,” Faizatul said. However, plastic waster recycling was the activity that changed the life of the group members.

Facilitated by Sri Mulyati, SCBFWM field facilitators, KWT Seruni met with SKPD to introduce their products. “At first, we only brought an inke and a pencil case that we created with our own money to the SKPD,” Faizatul said. They successfully sold these two products for Rp50,000.

Afterwards, KWT Seruni was invited to participate in the exhibition hold by the Industry and Trade Service of NTB. “After we participated in that exhibition, Alhamdulillah, people began to recognize our products and bought them,” she continued.

When they participated in an exhibition in Lombok Raya, Mataram Mayor visited their booth. “He came to our booth and order 80 inkes for souvenirs for National Coordination Meeting attendee worth of Rp1.6 million. From that point on, we continue to thrive. We are invited to be a speaker, we participate in many workshops, etc.,” Faizatul said proudly.

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“In our opinion, SCBFWM really helped us a lot. We were only regular housewives back then, but SCBFWM taught us about administration, making report with a computer or a notebook, and even about Facebook,” she said, followed by members’ laughter.

“Back then, we could only sit tight at home, housekeeping, and caring our children, but now, we are invited to become speakers, and we participated in training and workshops from related agencies and institutions from Bima, Sumbawa, even Dompu. We have gone there. Every Sunday, SKPD comes here. We got television coverage, many news stations wait in line to interview us (laughing happily), and there was this one time where we were invited to Sindo TV to be interviewed for a talk show. We became celebrities in a night,” she said happily.

What motivates the group to recycle plastic waste? Every year, according to Faizatul, their houses are swept by flood. “The waste is carried away by the flood since the flood itself occurred because Jangkok River was overflowed. Plastic waste is one of the major cause of the flood. Thus, we are motivated to recycle this plastic waste,” she explained.

KWT Seruni currently has 20 product designs including bag, inke, flower vase, pencil case, toilet roll, laundry basket, tablecloth, and many others. All of those are created from plastic waste. Inke is our bestselling product. We guide the community in Selaparang Sub-District to recycle plastic waste

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just like what we do. When we got order that we could not handle, we would call them, like what happened now. We got an order for 300 inke,” she said.

To prevent shortage of materials, KWT Seruni established waste bank. “We invited scavengers, housewives, and especially kiosks to join our programme. We also look for plastic waste in schools,” she said. The problem is lack of vehicle. “If we could get our hands on a motorcycle like Tossa (three-wheeled motorbike), we would have no problems to carry the materials. The money we used for our activities still comes from our pocket,” she added.

A small grant from SCBFWM is going to be used for buying equipment, making leaflets, distributing brochures, holding a workshop, and going on a comparative study. Besides recycling plastic waste, KWT Seruni also makes organic composts, provides credit union services, holding an arisan, and providing organic vegetable seeds. “We sell eggplant seedling for Rp10,000, while the tree that has already bears fruits is more expensive, Rp20,000,” she said.

Faizatul hopes that, when SCBFWM ends, they could continue their activities and receive endorsement in the form of guidance and marketing assistance from related agencies and SKPD. “The result of SCBFWM programme for us is really beneficial. We got many orders, even though we did not produce everything on our own, rather we ask the community to help us. We are also ready to create a proposal for our activities. Newmont is waiting,” she said.

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“even Monkeys Come Now”

Lukam Kidihartawan, the leader of CBO Mandiri Bersama, Buwun Sejati village, Narmada Sub-District, West Lombok District, has never imagined that his group could become independent and has various business going.

Back then there were many people going abroad becoming overseas migrant workers (TKI) in Malaysia and coming back to their hometown with lots of debts because they did not succeed there. We had an initiative to create a group, rearing Bangkok chicken together to improve the community’s financial condition, but we failed,” he said honestly.

In 2011, SCBFWM programme came to his village. CBO Mandiri Bersama received 11 goats from SCBFWM. As a compensation, CBO members planted 5,000 trees of sengon, mahogany, and gamelina on Sesaot riverbank located near their goat sheds voluntarily. “We want to preserve the river because this river is the source of PLTMH (Micro Hydro Power Plant),” he continued.

CBO Mandiri Bersama did not only plant trees that year only. In their second year receiving grant from SCBFWM, they nurtured and planted local high-yielding plants. “We have voluntarily planted 5,000 trees of local durian and Agarwood each, 5,000 Rajumas trees, and 5,000 Sengon seeds. We planted the durian and Agarwood inside forest area to improve the community financial condition, while for the Sengon and Rajumas, we planted them on our lands,” he said.

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This year, CBO Mandiri Bersama planned to provide beehives for beekeeping business because they see the potential of the surrounding flowers and trees. CBO sees that the surrounding environment such a high potential.

“Throughout the year, there are always trees with flowers in bloom. In addition, in our regions, no one has ever done beekeeping. This activity motivates the community to plant trees that have flowers that could attract bees. We also develop kaliandra, mangosteen, and sengon nursery,” Lukman said.

It can be imagined how busy the CBO will be when all of those plants start bearing fruits. According to Lukman, since SCBFWM came, “The skills of our human resources have improved. We were afraid to talk back then, we were not courageous. We also able to do the accounting now. Thirdly, we also understand that ecology damage could lead to environmental damage,” he said.

Lukman said that back then the community went to the forest and cut down trees because of economic pressure. “Alhamdulillah, that is not the case now, there has been awareness,” he said.

The same benefits also felt by Sayadi, the leader of CBO Sinar Pemancingan in Jembatan Gantung village, Lembar Sub-District, West Lombok District. The lands in Jembatan Gantung village is very dry. According to Lukman, in the dry season, leaves fell of the trees with nothing left. “We worried because our land was very dry, so we tried to plant something on it. We planted whatever we could find,” he said.

Seeds from the surrounding area, like mango and jackfruit were planted on their lands. “In the rainy season, the river became muddy because of erosion. Not today. In the dry season, there were no trees, but now, you could see green trees even though it is the dry season,” he said. “Even monkeys come now. That’s a sign that the forest is getting better,” he added proudly.

Led by Sayadi, the community in Jembatan Gantung village is well known for their perseverance in planting. “On our land, it is great enough if 500 out of 1,000 trees that we planted grow. From 2003 to 2007, we experienced water shortages, but there is this one spring inside a cave that could last for a long time. A spring that we could preserve,” he said.

SCBFWM came to Jembatan Gantung village in 2012. CBO Sinar Pemancingan started their activities by planting white teak and sengon. “The timbers are expensive and we could use the leaves for fodder. Also, white teak does not need much water like local teak,” Sayadi said.

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In the first year, they have planted 15,000 seeds. In the second year, they planted 8,000 seeds. “This year, we would preserve the spring, construct river stone wall, and enlarge the basin so that we could supply the water to our members. Our group has 35 members, but we also want to help other people establish a group,” he said.

CBO Sinar Pemancingan efforts paid off. Now in Jembatan Gantung village, there are six groups with a total of 350 members. “We are planning to create Farmer Group Association (Gapoktan),” Sayadi said.

He hopes that SCBFWM would continue. “There are still many groups under our group that still need guidance. We visit various agencies often, thanks to SCBFWM. We also more people to our network because SCBFWM involves many stakeholders,” he said. Lukman seconded Sayadi’s hope. “Honestly, we will miss SCBFWM, but we promise we will continue our animal husbandry and beekeeping business,” he said.

“Having been guided by SCBFWM, we could realize our dream”

Windi Lestari, the treasurer of CBO Pade Male Baru

When did CBO Pade Male Baru start getting involved with SCBFWM programme?SCBFWM programme began in 2010. At first, we develop sengon nursery comprising 50,000

seeds with a budget of Rp10 million. We distributed the seeds to our members and the community. We sold the rest. The revenue was incorporated in our group’s treasury, which up until then were the collection of members’ monthly contribution, which was only Rp1,000 a month.

In 2011, we submitted a proposal to access product quality improvement. Previously, out of 5 women’s groups in this region, only 2 groups were being funded. We finally established a group by the name Pade Mele Baru to access Rp15 million grant to improve product quality, go on a comparative study, and purchase equipment.

From 2009-2010, we processed and packaged chips traditionally for Rp500 a pack. In one month, we could only produce a bag of taro (30 kg). The COGS is Rp400, so the revenue was only Rp100 a pack. We did not understand how to calculate profits yet. In 2011, we received guidance

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from SCBFWM regarding business management and organization, so we could calculate the profit we could get by taking into account the equipment cost, labor, and others.

Having been guided by SCBFWM, our organization is improving; more people get to know us. Our marketing network also gets wider. We got visitations from both local and international guests, like from Korea. Even on one occasion, we had guests from Australia that taught us how to speak English free. We had to delegate a women’s group at that time to become tour guide because we have a tourism site here, a waterfall. We have also been visited by 14 countries. They shared some stories and from then on, we were promoted.

We felt grateful for SCBFWM. Honestly, before SCBFWM came, we could only get Rp10,000 a day, but now we could get hundred thousands of Rupiah in a day. Back then, we only had two kinds of product, taro and banana chips.

Our dream was to sell our product outside our region. Alhamdulillah, now that we have received training from SCBFWM, we could realize that dream. Our products are now not only sold in NTB, but also outside NTB.

We have various products now. They [Our products] have unique flavor so they have an edge. There are four bestselling products: sweet kepok banana, sweet and spicy taro chips, yam-flavored cassava, and purple chips.

We could not widen the market for purple chips because the material for making it is hard to get. The material, purple yam, is only available once in a year. It is only planted on farm field. We could find it on neither community’s yard nor community forest area.

In a month, we could process 10 bags of taro with each bag weighs about 35-40 kilos. For bananas, we approximately process 30-35 hands a month. Meanwhile, for cassavas, we collaborated with other groups to process 100 kilos a week.

Is there any benefit from SCBFWM?Women can now be independent. They do not have to depend on their husband all the times

anymore. Having been guided by SCBFWM, people could see our business record and we are invited to become speakers and to guide other groups.

We have environmental services saving that we get by setting aside some of our revenue to rehabilitate the forest. We set aside Rp150 a product for the PES.

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Therefore, whether or not SCBFWM still guide us, we will continue this women planting-programme. SKPD has recognized us and offered us aids.

The problems now are supply for raw materials and the capital. If we get grants that we could use as our business capital, we could generate more revenue compared to if we borrow the capital. Currently there are 5 product-processing groups included in our network, not to mention the raw material collecting groups.

Our average revenue in 2011 was only Rp1 million a month. In 2012, our revenue rose to Rp2 million and currently, it has reached Rp4.5 million a month. What we need right now is an outlet for selling our products.

We want to be always involved in every SCBFWM activity, so that we could maintain our partnership and relationship with SCBFWM.

“They were afraid of the government, but not anymore”

Damayanti Widyaningrum, Section Head of Land Infrastructure and Facilities of the Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Plantations Service, West Lombok District

How is the progress of SCBFWM programme in West Lombok District, NTB?There are many benefits coming from SCBFWM programme. For farmer groups, there is an

improvement in their skills because of the trainings and capacity building regarding beekeeping practice, composting, and ways and benefits of conservation.

Farmers’ knowledge is increased and they could enjoy the result of processing their yields, such as processing cassava, cocoa, that could increase their income because they did not sell them straight from the plantation anymore.

The problems are packaging and marketing. We could connect them with the Trade and Industry Service. Before SCBFWM came, they did not know how to get permits in POM agency and to get their products labelled halal.

Sempage valley region, which was barren, has now been rehabilitated through the establishment of cocoa, sengon, and other plantations as well as horticulture practices, like planting mangosteen, durian, and others.

What are the results of SCBFWM empowerment programme?There are several groups here that have become independent, being able to create their own

proposal. Back then, they were confused and afraid to go to SKPD. Now, they are brave to come to the service. Not only the Agriculture Service but also other services. “It’s actually easy,” they said. They were afraid of the government back then, but now our relationship, between the government and the groups, is great. Farmers are happy. They felt the benefits as their daily and monthly income is increasing.

We also gave them information and guided them. We have extension agents and we only help groups that are already registered as farmer groups, either, at the beginner, intermediate, advanced, or primary level that already have a strong administration and solid management. We are not going to help

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What are the obstacles of community assistance?Lack of extension agents. We only have one agent for one village. The scope of their work is

very wide and far.What aids could be given by the Agriculture Service to ensure the sustainability of this programme?We have agriculture infrastructures and facilities supporting the watersheds. We have also

received a direct instruction from the upper level, from the Agriculture Service, so we will prioritize the watersheds.

We gave aids in the form of training, equipment, infrastructures, tertiary irrigation networks, water pump, shallow well, and others.

How about the replication of SCBFWM in the future?In our opinion, we could use the successful region as an incubator. We would assist farmers until

they are successful and then the leader of that farmer group could acts as a guide.Other farmers will believe it more if their teacher is a successful farmer compared to an extension

agent. This model, besides improving the capacity of an extension agent, could be undertaken in line with the programme.

This would accelerate this programme. Farmers will not change their habit if they do not see a proof. The programme should also be based on what farmers need, not what they want, especially regarding their financial condition.

The key is on the farmer groups. The service has a programme and the extension agents will provide guidance. We have more than 700 farmer groups and farmer group associations.

Testimonies from the Local Government Institution (SKPD)

Sigit Pujosetiono, Head of BPDAS Mulyosari DodokanSCBFWM supports government’s programme in controlling forest and land degradation. The

major problem is creating a model for forest and watershed management. I have to applaud SCBFWM because the programme is timely and on target.

APBN management should also look up to SCBFWM. There are tons of knowledge that should be implemented on the institution, not only from the technical side, but also from the socio-economic side. That should be our goal. We have listen to the community’s aspiration.

SCBFWM serves well as a model. It should be maintained and replicated to other groups. The group has to be independent and not relying on aids from government or other organizations. The solution is sustainable empowerment.

The coordination among stakeholders should be improved to establish a consistent programme. We should know who would continue SCBFWM programme. There needs to be recommendations and solutions regarding programmes that could support the group according to their duties and responsibilities.

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Zaenal Abidin, the Secretary of Community Empowerment Agency (BPM), Mataram CityI am grateful there is a programme synchronization among central, local, provincial, and municipal

government. This is what we expected. The core of BPM is strengthening organizations. We also guided one of SCBFWM established groups, KWT Seruni who tried to handle waste problem.

The community still thinks waste as a problem, but we could actually find some KWT Seruni is a group that focuses on taking this waste problem seriously. Three ministries have visited them, and we invited MPL working group from NTT, Jakarta, Surabaya, and Malang to come there. BPM along with LH had prepared a budget to restore the river function in Jangkok. “The river would be the city’s waterfront. It would be an art center, a tourist center. BPM also created River Protection Community to ensure the preservation of the river. Those are the vision and mission of Mataram city.

MPB, which was previously called Rakorbang, listened to the community’s aspiration starting from the RT to Sub-District level to identify the problems.

The most crucial problem of Mataram city is waste management that has to be dealt by the women everyday. The volume of waste per day could reach 1,200 m3 and we have not even been able to manage 20% of it.

Samsudin, S.Hut, M.Si, Sub-Division Head of Spatial Planning and Natural Resources, BAPPEDA, NTBIn NTB, there is already joined secretariat regarding integrated Jangkok watershed, located in

provincial BAPPEDA, because Jangkok watershed stretches between a District and a city, it is under the provincial government authority, but in technical implementation and decision-making process, we are always involved.

A few activities have proven to improve the community’s income and preserve springs. In the future, the community should always be guided. We could not just let them be. There has to be a strategy to make them independent. There need to be an intensive guidance, especially from the stakeholders.

BPDAS could be involve by coordinating with related Forestry Service, because the upstream is a forest area, while the downstream is community’s residency so we could coordinate with BLH and the City Spatial Planning. Technically, we should delegate a contact person who has a willingness and a strong commitment. S/he could be a bridge between various sectors and SKPD.

We will give the region the opportunity to decide what they need. We provide a budget based on their priority. In RPJM 2014, two work indicators should be met by the Forestry Service.

The first one is land coverage presentation and the second one is spring preservation. Those two work indicators should be taken seriously by the Forestry Service especially in how they should make field activities that highlight those two indicators. We will let related services to create a strategic plan based on those two indicators so that we could integrate their activities with the local development plan. It must coincide with what SKPD need, not with what they want. There are national level priority and regional level priority.

We are now formulating development based on spatial planning, so the needs and focus should be clear. SKPD should not be derailed from that point. They should work in line with RPJMD related to RPJMN. The main indicators should be met.

Community empowerment should be done by building their capacity. The community should be able to create a new business opportunity. They should be able to process raw materials, so they do not

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just sell their yields straight from the plantation. All sectors should be involved, like the Cooperatives and Trade Service. BAPPEDA is ready to support local regulation regarding Integrated Watershed No. 37 of 2012 so the local government could also be involved.

Regarding spatial planning, the regulation is clear enough. Upperwatershed is under the management of forestry and environment sectors because the basic concepts are conservation and culture. Downstream on the other hand is under the management of public works, infrastructure, and transportation sectors. There is already a local regulation issued in 2010.

Afian Eko Purnomo, S.Hut. MP, Section Head of Institutional Development, BPDAS Dodokan MoyosariFrom what I saw, the implementation of SCBFWM is great enough because there is a synergy.

Some groups are supported by not only the Forestry Service but also from related SKPD. When SCBFWM stop leading this sector, we should all pay attention on how this would turn out. We should create a stronger coordination. We still need some help from BAPPEDA regarding the authority.

RPJMD (Provincial Mid-Term Development Plan) still focuses on spatial planning while our programme talks about watersheds. Thus, we need support from BAPPEDA to synchronize RPJMD and Integrated Watershed. For now, we should first discuss local regulation regarding Integrated RPDAS for not only Dodokan watershed, but also other watersheds.

Kartono Hartoyo, Sub-Division Head of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Development, BAPPEDA, West Lombok District

SCBFWM programme really helped us in listening to and addressing the community’s aspiration to SKPD. Because there is a lack of farmer representation in the Development Planning Meeting (Musrenbang), their aspirations were not addressed properly because farmers were only represented by NGOs, village chief, and public figures who do not what they really need.

We also have SKPD to ensure that community’s aspiration and suggestion is addressed to SKPD and formulated in the following year’s work plan. SKPD fora does not stipulated in the laws, but we have them in West Lombok. The attendance of related DPRD members is also expected because at the end, DPRD will be the ones who decide on the matter.

The most suggestions coming are regarding infrastructure, road network, and irrigation. We are trying to integrate agriculture and forestry programmes. In West Lombok District, we are trying to work together to develop the programme.

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Part EightSave Watershed, Save Natural Resources

Lessons learned from Gopgopan Subwatershed, North Sumatra

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In the last project site, that is Gopgopan Subwatershed, land is managed under communal system based on kinship, influenced by the patrilineal system, marga. Each marga has their own piece of land and they are not allowed to sell them, though intermarriage allows some dilution of control.

The economic condition is strongly influences by local community life styles. Farmers and traders dominate local community livelihood.

DTA Toba Lake is a national asset that has many functions in various sectors like tourism, farming, fishery, power plant, and industry.

This site is very susceptible to erosion. This is because the development of tourism facilities and land conversion into agriculture land on the mountainside.

It is also because the community living surrounding the area needs access to agriculture land. Thus endangering the protected area and the biodiversity living in the area.

One of the efforts done by SCBFWM to reduce the pressure on this area is by planting trees in a 500 ha piece of land.

Supports from various stakeholders (private sector, BUMN, and APBN/APBD) for the programme and funding CBOs, according to M. Khairul Rizal, SCBFWM Regional Facilitator for North Sumatra, have been realized with a total of Rp22,500,000 from PT Toba Pulp Lestari, Tbk.

Integrated Watershed Management Plan (RPDAST) of Asahan Toba in North Sumatra has also been formulated and what is left is for the Governor to sign it. “The management plan has been signed by Toba Samosir Regent, and the Academic Manuscript of Draft District Regulation regarding Community Based Watershed Management has been signed by the Head of BAPPEDA and it is now being processed in the DPRD of Tobasa District,” he said.

On the field, community based organizations (CBOs) undertakes various community empowerment programmes. You could read their stories below.

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“Our income increased 50-60%”CBO Makmur is based in Jangga Toruan village, Lumban Julu Sub-District, Toba Samosir District,

North Sumatra province. Flood and Landslide are the major problems faced by this region.As reported by Waspada News in December 2012 for example, landslide due to heavy rainfalls

occurred in Toba Samosir District, North Sumatra. This natural disaster caused Trans-Sumatran highway, Lumbanjulu-Balige closed for almost six hours, congested the traffic.

Rocks and dirt blocked the road in two points, Lumban Rang village and Jangga Toruan village, Lumbanjulu Sub-District, Toba Samosir District, a village where CBO Makmur is based in. The landslide occurred because the soil was unstable.

CBO Makmur was helped by SCBFWM for the first time in 2010. As one of the efforts to control forest and land degradation, the CBO created village forest and planted 10,000 coffee, cacao, and sengon.

M. Khairul Rizal, SCBFWM Regional Facilitator for North Sumatra said that, until October 2013, there were 17 CBOs and 4 KLHD (Village Forest Institution Group) who were under SCBFWM guidance. “They planted trees in the buffer zone,” he said.

According to Jaimar, before SCBFWM came, his group did not have various business activities. Having been trained and guided by SCBFWM, CBO Makmur now has three business activities, composting, nursery, and animal husbandry.

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Sengon trees planted by CBO Makmur have grown to, in average, 5 meters tall. They could also enjoy the yields from coffee and cacao plantation. “We have harvested the coffee twice and the cacao once,” Jaimar Manurung, the leader of CBO Makmur, said. The result of SCBFWM activities has proven to improve their livelihood. “Our income increases 50-60%, thanks to SCBFWM,” he continued.

Nursery development and planting are a few solutions to control forest and land degradation. To support those activities, the CBO created composting facility in their village.

According to Jaimar, CBO Makmur is ready to process composting ingredients from the community, but they do not have the vehicle to carry the ingredients. “The facility is located 2 km from our village. It’s hard for us to process and sell our compost,” he said.

Near the end of SCBFWM programme, Jaimar hoped that his group could receive a three-wheeled vehicle so that their group could become independent. “Up until now, we have 3 tons of compost ready to be sold,” he said.

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Pea Nauli: The Savior of Lake Toba

Saving the environment through community empowerment is the major focus of SCBFWM programme in Sibaruang village, Lumbanjulu Sub-District, Toba Samosir District, North Sumatra. One of the groups that received guidance from SCBFWM is CBO Pea Nauli. CBO Pea Nauli has 18 households as their members. They are anglers who process pora-pora fish, which is the signature dish of the community living surrounding Toba Lake, North Sumatra.

Pora-pora fish is caught at night. Anglers must started sailing at 5 p.m. and sail back at 11 p.m. to get optimal results.

Before SCBFWM came, CBO Pea Nauli received sulangit (a traditional pora-pora fish catching net) to increase their income.

The result, according to Janso, “Our income increased. We could catch 60-70 kg of pora-pora fish in the morning.” Even though they sail to catch pora-pora fish at night, the catch is counted in the morning, after the fishing finished at 11 p.m.

However, environmental problem and climate change keep haunting the community living surrounding Toba Lake. “Pora-pora fish live well in a high rainfall zone,” Janso said. In the past five months, the weather in Toba Lake was a little bit unfriendly. The precipitation frequency is decreased which in turn decreasing the anglers’ catch, affecting their income. “We could only catch small fish in the morning, about 10 kg,” he said.

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The arrival of invasive species like glassfish, according to Janso, has decreased pora-pora fish population, while the demand for pora-pora fish is increasing. “After SCBFWM helped us in promoting and packaging our product, we could not meet the demand,” Janso said.

Thus, Janso asked related stakeholders to help spread pora-pora fish seed in Toba Lake. Pora-pora fish has proven to not only increase anglers’ income, but also preserve the environment. Pora-pora fish helps reducing aquatic weeds like water hyacinth in Toba Lake.

If it is not controlled, aquatic weeds could cause siltation, disturbing the sustainability of Lake Toba. CBO Pea Nauli also planted trees on Sibaruang riverbank flowing from Lake Toba.

“In the future, we will plant coffee and durian to help improve members’ livelihood,” Janso said. These productive plants are expected to cover their declining income due to the declining population of pora-pora fish and to reduce the impact of climate change and global warming.

Testimonies from the Local Government Institution (SKPD)

James Silaban, Head of BAPPEDA, Toba Samosir DistrictTwo of the many benefits of SCBFWM programmes are strengthening organization and improving

community’s livelihood in Toba Samosir District. We appreciated and respected that.Thus, to ensure the sustainability of this programme, we would like to continue working together

with other international financial institutions. We also hoped that international financial institutions understand the condition of our community [that still needs help].

Our determination in facilitating empowerment programme like SCBFWM is still strong and we are ready to coordinate related Local Government Institution to ensure that their programme is in line with the empowerment programme.

We will always facilitate, guide, and monitor CBOs including the funding, so that CBOs could become independent just like what PNPM Mandiri aimed.

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Herianto, Section Head of Forest and Land Rehabilitation, Forestry Service, North SumatraSCBFWM programme got a very warm welcome because it directly touched community’s needs.

The programme is formulated based on the community’s livelihood, based on what the community needs, like composting facility, reforestation, and nursery. Their organization also gets better because of the guidance.

However, SCBFWM empowerment should not stop here. Taking the principal of the empowerment programme, firstly, the community should understand. Once they understand, they will be willing to, and after that, they will be able to implement the programme. Nevertheless, the community’s capability should be assessed, whether or not they are able to improve their livelihood and independency already.

The outstanding result of this SCBFWM programme is the community shifting mindset. The community has already been guided, and now they have the passion [to conserve]. They realize that, first, they need to rehabilitate forest and land which in turn will improve their welfare.

Tua Pangaribuan, Head of BP4K (Agriculture, Fishery, Animal Husbandry, and Forestry Extension Agency), Toba Samosir District

BP4K was established in 2012. We respect SCBFWM programme because this programme help us completing our tasks to educate, guide, and empower the community.

We hope in the future, we could still get financial assistance because the people living in Tobasa District still have some problems with human resources and funding. For example, currently, we only have 6 forestry extension agencies while there are 744 groups needed to be guided.

There is already intersectorial activity to support the programme, like among the agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry sectors. We also have given beehives for some CBOs.

We also planned to empower SCBFWM established CBO administrators or members so that they could become Non-Governmental Extension Workers (PKSM). PKSM are those who are chosen to motivate, educate, and empower the community.

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Closing

National-scale learning from SCBFWM The Implementation of Community Based Watershed Management

By: Saeful Rachman

Mr. Sunarto’s family, the residence of Gunung Terang village, West Lampung District, has now had no problem accessing clean water for their daily needs even though the dry season strikes. Meanwhile, Mrs. Maryani and 30 other households in Rigis Jaya village could enjoy the electricity by utilizing river streamflow in their village after waiting for 15 years to get electricity from the government.

Those two villages are located in Way Besai subwatershed, Tulang Bawang watershed in West Lampung District, which is one of the project sites of Strengthening Community Based Forest, and Watershed Management (SCBFWM). SCBFWM project is implemented by the Government of Indonesia (GoI) with the help of GEF and UNDP from 2010 and expected to end in 2014.

SCBFWM project is designed to help GoI programme in reducing forest and land degradation, restoring watershed function and environmental service, as well as improving local community livelihood in 6 watersheds in 6 provinces: (1) Jangkok/Dodokan watersheds, NTB; (2) Besiam subwatershed/Noelmina watershed, NTT; (3) Besai subwatershed, Lampung; (4) Tulis subwatershed/Serayu watershed, Central Java; (5) Miu subwatershed/Palu watershed, Palu; and (6) Gopgopan subwatershed, North Sumatra.

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Through this project, various activities to formulate a model for forest and watershed management were created, along with community empowerment activity, government institution capability building activity, and coordination improvement among related stakeholders to promote policy making which consistently supporting community based forest and watershed management activity.

Participatory Planning

The preconditioning of community participation through community-based organizations was conducted at the beginning of the project implementation in 2010. CBOs were prepared so that they could meet the criteria to receive a small grant (being legalized, having an internal regulation on AD/ART, and opening bank account). They were then facilitated to create a proposal by involving all of their members and related stakeholders like public figures and government officials.

CBOs were invited to see the potentials of their environment, social capital, organization, and the problems that they were going to face. Based on their capital and problems, we created a dream board to establish the activities that they would do to reach the goals as well as the result and cost indicators.

That plan was then legalized by at least the village chief, and in some project sites, it was also legalized by the head of Sub-District extension agency. That plan was evaluated and verified by the small grant selection team established by Watershed Management Agency comprising of BPDAS, SKPD, University scholars, and SCBFWM project.

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Community empowerment and the result

CBOs were empowered through many activities, starting from trainings, guidance, undertaking small grant schemed activities, to watershed monitoring. The trainings came with various topics and they are coordinated by SCBFWM project with University scholars, Forestry Training Centre, Research Institutes, of NGOs that are competent in the designated topic(s). There were also some trainings hold by CBO by working together with agencies or speaker that have an experience in the designated topic(s).

Guidance were conducted intensively by 22 field facilitator (FL) recruited since 2011. In most cases, a FL is scholar native to the project site living near CBO’s base to make the guidance easier and more intensive. FL directly interacts or lives together with the group s/he is guiding. Every field facilitator guides 3 to 4 CBOs giving technical, administration, and financial assistance.

CBO empowerment by helping them or facilitating their physical activities on the field is based on their own proposal that has been evaluated by the selection team and deemed worthy to be undertaken.

For the legality of this small grant, a Memorandum of Understanding was created between the Head of BPDAS and the leader of each CBO. The small grant was then transferred by the project to CBO’s account in several phases depends on the performance of the CBO.

CBO’s small grant schemed activities vary but all of them aim to restore watershed functions, environmental service, and improve community’s economic condition.

This project has been giving small grants since 2010 to 70 CBOs in 6 project sites every year (with a total of 130 CBOs). As an example, CBO Wanatirta, led by Sunarto, received a small grant from SCBFWM to install clean water supply system from the spring to their home. To ensure the availability

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and supply of clean water, CBO also rehabilitated and preserved the spring. However, because that spring is also clean water resources for two other CBOs based in the downstream, SCBFWM project facilitated a cooperation among three CBOs based in upperwatershed and downstream of the river by making three CBOs joint agreement to preserve the spring. CBOs are responsible to rehabilitate and manage the forest surrounding the water catchment area. From that preserved spring, not less than 150 households could enjoy clean water every year.

Another CBO guided by SCBFWM is CBO Rimba Sejati, led by Mrs. Maryani. CBO Rimba Sejati is an all-women organization. They received a small grant from SCBFWM in the form of a PLTMH (Micro Hydro Power Plant) for 30 households in one of the gampong in Rigis Jaya village.

That PLTMH utilizes river stream, so the CBO has to maintain the river flow all year long. Therefore, this CBO realized that they had to plant not less than 10,000 hardwood trees in that upperwatershed and create dead-end channel to prevent soil erosion and its sedimentation from entering the river as well as increase water infiltration so that the streamflow is preserved all year long.

The direct result of this PLTMH is the community can now enjoy the electricity in their home. The children can learn well at night and people could watch television to get information. The housewives could also have small home industry and cut their budget for lightings as they do not have to buy kerosene as much as Rp120,000 a month a household. According to Mrs. Maryani, “We conserve the watershed because we need it, not because the government told us to do so.”

CBO success story could also be found in other locations. Take Jangkok watershed in NTB for example. The women’s group there received a small grant from SCBFWM to build hardwood tree and fruit tree nursery which seedlings later on would be planted on members’ land. By the time their nursery was successful, they sold the seeds to companies, institutions, or people who need seeds.

CBO Pade Mele Baru that process Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) and agricultural yields was empowered through home industry training, production equipment provision, facilitating them to get PIRT from the Health Service, and selling their products to supermarket in Mataram. Having been through all of that, the CBO could increase their revenue from Rp500,000 a month in 2010 to Rp8 million a month in 2012.

There is also CBO Seruni in Mataram and CBO Pade Baru Sejati in West Lombok who were very concerned with Jangkok River, which was filled with food packaging and plastic waste. SCBFWM project then facilitated a training to turn waste into handicrafts that have economic and functional value. The promotion of those CBOs’ products in the national and international level improved the CBOs and made them references for other CBOs that want to learn. As a result, CBOs’ members could generate additional income and the environment they are living in is cleaner.

SCBFWM programme in Central Java, NTB, NTT, and Lampung is different as it develops forest and land based economic activities together with the CBOs. Silvopasture development, running through 2010-2013, has resulted in the rearing of 461 goats, 70 cattle, 5,075 ducks and chickens, which were integrated with forest and land management.

The livestock provisions is paired with planting forage, like elephant grass and king grass that also work as a protection from soil erosion. CBO Sinar Pemancingan in Jembatan Gantung village, West Lombok developed silvopasture system by rearing goats, preceded by planting hummingbird trees a year before while also planting elephant grass in the current year. Thus, when they bought the livestock, they have already ensured the availability of the forage.

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A 3 years old hummingbird tree could be sold as firewoods for drying tobacco, which is a common practice in Lombok. Farmer’s income increases from the selling of livestock and hummingbird timber products, which are grown sustainably.

In 6 project sites in 2010-2013, there has been 2,087,000 tree seeds planted in a 5,217 ha area and 273 beehives, 3 units of natural silk, 5 composting facilities, 4 clean water facilities for more than 500 households and pesantren, 25 fish ponds and an ecotourism in Way Besai.

CBO empowerment in watershed management is not an easy task and it takes a very long time. SCBFWM project since 2010 to 2013 has trained 1,689 individuals (s% of them are women) consisting of CBO administrators and members out of a total of 3,815 CBO members.

Guidance by 22 field facilitators is undertaken intensively since 2011, beginning with region’s potential and problem identification, participatory planning, technical assistance in watershed management, group’s administration, financial matter, result monitoring and reporting. The guidance is also undertaken to help CBO cooperate with other parties like between CBO and private parties in Lampung (PLN, Indocpco, Nestle, interCBO), in NTB (Mandiri, PT ELI, Krida Autonusa, PDAM), in Central Java (PT Geo Dipa, PT Indonesia Power, Perum Perhutani), in NTT (WWF, WFP, ITTO), and with the Forestry Service of TTS District. CBO Fora have been established in each project site to help CBO consult and coordinate their activities.

Strengthening government Capacity

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One of the activities facilitated by SCBFWM to increase local government capacity is training officials from various SKPD regarding watershed management. SKPD that was being trained are the ones that deal with local development planning, forestry, agriculture, plantation, environment, and extension. Not less than 10 kinds of training were hold with a total participant of 718 civil servants learning 10 different technical modules. SCBFWM also contributed in the discussion of Government Regulation No. 37 of 2012 regarding watershed management by facilitating the formation and issuance of 1 local regulation of Banjarnegara District regarding watershed management, 4 local regulations regarding forest management and environmental services and 29 village regulations regarding Gender Mainstreaming Guideline and Biodiversity Mainstreaming Guideline.

In terms of development planning, SCBFWM facilitated the formulation of 6 watershed/subwatershed management plans and their legalization, 1 micro watershed development plan, 6 gender action plans (GAP), 4 community forest operational plans and their preparation, 5 village forest permit applications and their management agencies. Regulation, policy, and plan formulation were all participatory by involving many stakeholders. An attempt to incorporate the plan formulated to local development plan whether at the village, district, or provincial level was always made (in the RPJMD, SKPD working plan, and Village Working Plan).

SCBFWM also facilitated several national watershed fora and 6 regional watershed fora, 2 joint secretariat of area/watershed management, 1 community forest forum, the Indonesia Soil and Water Conservation Society (MKTI), and 6 CBO fora on project sites to make a better coordination among the stakeholders.

Monitoring and EvaluationTo e n s u r e t h a t t h e

implementation of SCBFWM project is in line with the log frame agreed upon by GEF, UNDP, and the Government of Indonesia (the Ministry of Forestry), monitoring and evaluation were conducted regularly. These activities are conducted in several phases by SCBFWM executing agencies, UNDP, and an external auditor.

The f i e ld fac i l i t a tors monitored CBO activities on the field and every month they

reported to the project office/BPDAS of each site and BPDAS would then report the activities and finances to the PMU every month or every 3 months.

PMU monitors and provides technical guidance for each project site once in 3 months and make a report to the UNDP every 3 months. UNDP and an external auditor like BPK and BPKP then at least once in a year audit the central Project Management Unit (PMU) or regional offices or even the CBOs.

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Mid-term project evaluation (2.5 years after the intervention of this programme) is undertaken by independent consultants (international and national) recruited by UNDP to evaluate the achievements, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the project.

The secretariat of GEF monitors the project at least once in a year through Annual Project Review (APR)/Project Implementation Review (PIR) or Project Annual Report which is formulated and sent by the executing agency. At the end of the project (2014), there will be Participatory Impact Assessment and Terminal Evaluation undertaken by a consultant by involving relevant stakeholders.

Project Impact

Having been implemented for 4 years, there are several impacts that could be experienced and observed on the field and at the organizational level: (a) The knowledge, awareness, and commitment of the government, private parties, and communities to manage forest and watershed sustainably are increased; (b) CBO members’ abilities, skills, and participation (especially the women) in crop cultivation (nursery, agroforestry), animal husbandry (silvopasture), non-timber forest products (honey, brown sugar, bamboo, carica, banana chips, taro) as well as in administration and financial management are increased; (c) There is a short term farmers’ livelihood improvement especially from the development of agroforestry, silvopasture, and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) utilization, and for the long term, there will be an environmental rehabilitation because there has been annual

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vegetation growing, agroforestry and silvopasture development, dead-end channel construction, PLTMH, NTFPs utilization, and environmental services (climate change issue and biodiversity); and (d) Local/District and Village government officials were motivated to create regulations regarding forest, watershed, and environment management. Having seen 11 Village Regulations in Miu subwatershed facilitated by SCBFWM, Government Law Bureau of Sigi District expanded the formulation of village regulation to Sub-Districts outside the project site.

exit Strategy

Even though community’s passion and participation in watershed management has increased, there is one more thing that should be tackled, that is the sustainability of the activities when the project ends, especially regarding financial and institutional matters. The exit strategy that should be undertaken to ensure the sustainability of community’s activities are:

a. Incorporating CBFWM programme into RPJMD, RKPD, and regional prioritized activitiesb. Disseminating Watershed/Subwatershed Management Plan and CBO plan/proposal that has

been legalized so that they can be implemented by related SKPD or other agenciesc. Increasing the coordination, synchronization, and integration of CBOs’ activities and preparing

the internalization of activities and project results into BPDAS and SKPD

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d. Formulating Guidelines/Technical Instructions through the SK of the Ministry of Forestry to implement SCBFWM model in all watersheds and to facilitate Local Regulation and Village Regulation regarding forest and watershed management

e. Strengthening CBO capacity and facilitating CBO partnership with SKPD, BUMN/D, and private parties

f. Strengthening the publication and media exposure of SCBFWM project resultsg. Strengthening the role of an extension agent like a field facilitator in SCBFWM project

SCBFWM project has changed many people’s perception including the community’s that forestry sector is not the only one responsible for solving watershed management problems rather it is everyone’s responsibility. The community does not over expect the project to be able to solve every problem regarding forest and watershed degradation because the funding and time period of the project is very limited. SCBFWM project only provides a stimulant to scale up CBOs’ activities. The sustainability of community’s activities regarding watershed management still needs support from the government, private parties, and various agencies so that watershed preservation and community’s prosperity could be achieved.

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