Having broken away from Luwu District in 2001, the Luwu Utara District Government has faced many problems in its three years of implementing decentralization. The obstacles to implementing decentralization were due mainly to the inconsistency of national laws and regulations, unclear division of responsibility and authority between district, provincial and central governments, an unfair balancing mechanism for reforestation funds between producing and non-producing districts, increased claims of tenure by local communities, low levels of public participation in decision-making processes and a lack of spatial planning at the district level. This study found that at the beginning of decentralization the district government was not very well prepared and lacked adequate human resources and facilities for taking over the management of its forests. As time progressed, the Luwu Utara District Government, especially the Forestry and Estate Crops Offi ce, strove continuously to improve its forest management capacity. However, due to a lack of resources and uncertain division of authority, many aspects of forest management are still not handled properly. By using an inclusive decision-making process for the research process, this study helped the district government and local communities to look at underlying causes of problems in implementing forestry sector decentralization in their areas and to find alternative solutions to these problems. As a result, the district Forestry Offi ce has undertaken many activities in direct response to the outcomes of this research project, such as a social forestry programme for local forest-dependent communities and the adoption of more inclusive processes for ...

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state. In 2001 it embarked on a 'big bang' decentralization involving a major transfer of administrative, political and financial authority to its districts, now numbering more than 500. Together with the rapid transition from authoritarian to democratic rule in the late 1990s, this initiative has transformed the country's political, social and business life. While national government is the major area of contestation, power has shifted irreversibly away from the centre. How this significantly increased regional autonomy works will have a crucial bearing on the future of the Indonesian nation-state. This volume features contributions by over 40 writers with deep expertise on Indonesia. The book provides a timely, comprehensive and analytical assessment of the country's regional development dynamics in the post-decentralization environment. It explores historical, political and development patterns at the regional level; the relationship between decentralization and governance; local-level perspectives; migration, cities and connectivity; and the challenges confronting the peripheral regions of Aceh and Papua.

The report focuses on the impacts of Special Autonomy in Papua on the forestry sector. It studies the advantages and problems associated with the current forestry management system. The most signifi cant change following special autonomy for Papua was the introduction of small-scale concession permits granted to community cooperatives, locally known as Kopermas. As a result, CIFOR and the State University of Papua's research focused on these Kopermas, analyzing data on timber production and revenues from concessions, and determining the flow of benefits to customary communities' incomes and to regional revenues. The objective was to determine how effectively the Kopermas system has empowered local communities. Using a combination of conventional and participatory/action research methods, the research team evaluated the livelihoods and environmental value of forest resources for local people. We also facilitated stakeholder input into our research findings and analysis. The team also worked with local communities to determine their current capacity for forest management; which mechanisms were used to distribute the benefi ts from the new system; and how people were involved in decision-making about permit applications and concession management. This research found some direct involvement of local people in forest management and short-term benefits for local communities. However, we also found that the benefi ts from timber revenues have not been fairly shared among local people and other actors involved in the timber business. As a result, community forestry cooperatives have yet to contribute to equitable and sustainable development for local people. To improve this situation, local stakeholders identified an urgent need to to empower customary organizations and individuals by equipping them to manage their own natural resources independently. This will reduce the likelihood that communities are exploited by more powerful stakeholders in the future. Alongside low capacity, facilities and skills for commercial forest management .,

The study attempted to understand the dynamics and complexities of forest resources management following decentralization, the interactions among stakeholders in forest resources management, and the impacts of the new legislation on local community livelihoods in Sintang District, West Kalimantan. Forestry policies implemented in the district before and after the introduction of legislation granting regional autonomy and the emergence of small-scale timber concessions are described. Qualitative research methodologies, i.e. semi-structured interviews, field observations and workshops, were used. The results show that the decentralization of forest management had not proceeded smoothly because of the lack of regulations governing implementation, and that the decentralized forest policies had had both positive and negative impacts. Focusing on 100-ha forest product harvest concessions (HPHH), the study examined opportunities for local communities and other stakeholders to participate in the management of forest resources, the contributions of the small-scale forest concessions to district development and local community livelihoods, and social conflicts arising from a complex combination of factors.

The decentralization of control over the vast forests of the world is moving at a rapid pace, with both positive and negative ramifications for people and forests themselves. The fresh research from a host of Asia-Pacific countries described in this book presents rich and varied experience with decentralization and provides important lessons for other regions. Beginning with historical and geographical overview chapters, the book proceeds to more in-depth coverage of the region's countries. Research findings stress rights, roles and responsibilities on the one hand, and organization, capacity-building, infrastructure and legal aspects on the other. With these overarching themes in mind, the authors take on many controversial topics and address practical challenges related to financing and reinvestment in sustainable forest management under decentralized governance. Particular efforts have been made to examine decentralization scales from the local to the national, and to address gender issues. The result is a unique examination of decentralization issues in forestry with clear lessons for policy, social equity, forest management, research, development and conservation in forested areas across the globe from the tropics to temperate regions. Published with CIFOR

Following the enactment of Decentralization Laws No. 22/1999 and No. 25/1999, and several Forestry Ministry's decrees issued in 1999, district governments throughout Indonesia were given a greater authority to formulate local regulations over forest resources. The District Government of Tanjung Jabung Barat in Jambi took this opportunity to introduce three policies regarding small-scale timber utilization and forestry revenues. This report begins with a normative legal analysis and basic evaluation of these policies. It then explores the district's policy-making processes and mechanisms for implementing district regulations and describes the functions and roles of the relevant district institutions. The report then fi gures out the players in the process and how they infl uence the policy Abstract agenda and at the end provides an analysis of the impacts of decentralized forest policies on local people, focusing on small-scale timber concession licences. This work is the result of research meant to generate information and analysis to facilitate negotiated recommendations for improving forest policies and policy making processes by supporting public input to shape the decentralized forestry policy agenda for the district, and help develop a forest management model oriented to increased prosperity and justice for local people. The research calls for the District to draft a new regulation on public participation in district policy making, with the policy objective of building consensus and synergy amongst local stakeholders by using appropriate public involvement mechanisms.

This book examines the dynamic process of political transition and indigenous (adat) revivalism in newly decentralized Indonesia. Based on original fieldwork and using case studies from Sulawesi to illustrate the key arguments, this book provides an overview of the key analytical concepts, and a concise review of relevant stages in Indonesian history.