Implementation of KPH Policies Within Indigenous Agroforestry Systems of Buru Island, Moluccas

Abstract

For centuries, many indigenous peoples across the archipelago have adopted customary agroforestry practices that are evidently sustainable. Forest Management Units (FMUs) or KPHs, intended to improve forest management at the ground level therefore, need to adopt policies that can align with, complement and strengthen existing local land-use systems. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding on how KPH policies, those with direct implications on the ground, can be aligned with indigenous peoples' traditional agroforestry systems of Buru. We used a qualitative descriptive approach based on in-depth interviews with key informants and focus group discussions with indigenous groups of Buru.Results show that the indigenous peoples of Buru have and continue to follow a set of norms and rules in their forest land management practices: lands are utilized to plant various agricultural commodities that are combined with forest species which are left to grow naturally upon clearing land for agriculture or in establishing gardens. There are also norms and rules in establishing fields and gardens, starting from clearing of the land, to maintenance, to harvest. Every family in villages own fields and gardens, making them a vital part of community life. KPH policy of land use at the site level requires an understanding of how rules of resource use can be made compatible with and support community needs. In the operationalization of KPH, indigenous peoples' rights to regulate the use of forest land, access to forest land use, and use of forest products need to be accommodated so that these communities continue to benefit from activities on their land.

Serangan Hama Pada Tegakan Ekaliptus (Eucalyptus alba) di Kawasan Hutan Lindung Gunung Nona Kota Ambon

“…Hutan adalah suatu asosiasi tumbuhan di mana pohon-pohon atau tumbuhan berkayu lainnya secara pre dominan menempati wilayah yang luas dan keadaannya cukup rapat sehingga mampu menciptakan iklim yang berbeda dengan di luar hutan. Hutan sebagai salah satu sumber kekayaan alam di dalamnya terkandung bahan-bahan berupa kayu dan hasil lainnya yang dapat di manfaatkan untuk kesejahtraan masyarakat serta sumber devisa bagi pembangunan nasional [1] . Dalam dasawarsa terakhir tingkat kerusakan hutan semakin meningkat dari tahun ke tahun sejalan dengan meningkatnya jumlah penduduk yang cukup pesat disekitar kawasan hutan lindung.…”