The South Sulawesi Working Group for Social Forestry Acceleration (WG-SFA) held a workshop on social forestry acceleration at Remcy Hotel in Makassar on 29/11, to formulate and develop a plan based on implementation and expected outcomes related to the development of social forestry in South Sulawesi. This workshop was facilitated by the Sulawesi Community Foundation (SCF).
Divided into three groups, participants discussed the study of area management, policies and institutions, and social forestry business management. Problem identification, finding alternatives for solution and activity plan on designing the roadmap of the South Sulawesi WG-SFA were the focus of discussions of each group.
Burung Indonesia, with the group consisted of AMAN-South Sulawesi, The Perkumpulan Wallacea Palopo, Yayasan Bumi Sawerigading, PINUS, academicians of Hasanuddin University and representatives of Regional Work Units (RWU), were successful in recommending policy and institutional schemes.
Sampe Paembonan, the Professor of the Faculty of Forestry, Hasanuddin University, said that the management mechanism of social forestry should be optimally initiated from province to village levels. “The synergy work of each institution, namely (RWU), NGO and communities is required to accelerate the Social Forestry,” he stated.
The Head of Counseling and Social Forestry Division of the South Sulawesi Forestry Office, Irawan Madjid, also present in the event and remarked that the systematic process conducted by the stakeholders in the South Sulawesi WG-SFA holds important role in the implementation of social forestry acceleration plan in South Sulawesi. “Social Forestry is not only about the target area of the permit issued, but also the development of group businesses in the collective management of forest products.”
Irawan suggested WG-SFA implement its assignments to site level in order to synergize the stakeholders, build a network and encourage fund availability including the Village Fund Allocation for social forestry acceleration in village level. (AFA)