Local Wisdom for Management Forest

Jambi, March 24th 2007

Sir Nicholas Stern, --The economic adviser from England Government for Development and Climate change--, stay in Jambi for two days. He visited Guguk Village, Sungai Manau subdistrict, Merangin District with England ambassador for Indonesia Charles Humphrey. Stern would have a schedule also, to visit Lubuk Beringin village, Bathin III subdistrict, Ulu Bungo district, but cancelled because the machines of helicopter which take Stern and the others to the village which applicated rubber agroforest had broken. Stern watch with himself the community which organized by KKI Warsi manage the forest with customary law which they had done since a long time ago.Both of these villages have choosen because They had customary law which in fact can save the forest. Because the community realize forest as life sources and they depend on it for their whole life. “From the customary law which the communities had done, it giving a better results for the sustainable of the forest, said Executive Director KKI Warsi,RakhmatHidayat. The community of Guguk determained the forest as communities’ in the amount of 690 Ha since 2003 which is managed in customary law and keep the eternal. The communities’ forest was born because there are urging from outside, like Forestry Plantation belongs to PT. Injapsin who took Guguk Village’s area without confirmation become their concession areas, beside that it caused also from illegal logging around Guguk village. “The community realize that forest exploitation will cause degradation and destruction of the forest and also they will have complicated problems to access the forest’s sources which they had for a long time, said Rakhmat.
The Community of Guguk who Fasilitated by KKI Warsi struggled to take their right back on that forest. They won this Struggle, their village didn’t belongs to PT Injabsin’s anymore and they had permit from Merangin District in Legal Permission Letter SK No 287 2003, talk about Bukit Tapanggang area as communities’ forest of Guguk Village Kecamatan Sungai Manau Kabupaten Merangin on June 2nd 2003 .

The community of Guguk also made rules about using the forest which making management groups who will . manage their custom forest. Custom forest doesn’t mean that woods on it couldn’t take by the communities, but they had a rule to take it and keep the immortal. “Cut the woods could be done to make common facilities with a permit from managing group first. Each tree cut must be change with 5 trees planted,” added Rakhmat. He also said that there are convictions for woods robber from customary law .
Meanwhile in Lubuk Beringin, The communities around Kerinci Seblat National Park, with their local rules about agroforest system that mix rubber plantation with natural trees. These mixing plantation had the same function with natural forest as water catcher. “The community activities in both villages are decrease carbon emissions,” said Rakhmat.
As we knew that carbon emissions contributed on climate change. Therefore as Stern analised global climate change impact to economy. Climate change effect is seriously global threatment and need global opinion which pushing. The impact of what we’re doing now will give impact to climate change on the future. What we are doing now will contribute for climate change in the next 40-50 years. And what we will do in 10-20 years next will give big effect to climate in the middle and the end of century and so on.
According Stern opinion, climate change is a global thing on its affect so that international activity will be necessary to push an effective, deserve and certain scale opinion. These will need cooperation especially in many groups to create price and market for carbon, research of technology, development, distributing and adaptating especially for developing country.”
It become necessary because developing country will suffer more than developed country and become a big threat in decrease poor people. It caused by the weather of developing country hotter and high intensity of rain. Beside that, developing country depends on agriculture much while this sector will be very sensitive on climate change. “According Stern information, clearly we need certain step to save the world from carbon emission. What the communities Guguk and Lubuk Beringin village had done are one of potential step to decrease carbon emission, and hopely can be followed by other regions,” said Rakhmat.