Pekanbaru, June 18, 2026 — The Riau Provincial Government, through the Riau Provincial Environment and Forestry Service (DLHK), together with the Ministry of Forestry, UNEP UN-REDD Programme, and development partners GREEN for Riau, held a Workshop on Strengthening Social Forestry and Conflict Resolution as Pillars of Inclusive Jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD+) Governance.
This meeting provided a strategic platform to strengthen coordination and synergy between the government, academics, civil society organizations, indigenous communities, development partners, and related sectors in building equitable forest governance while supporting Indonesia's emission reduction targets.
Opening the event, Bambang Arifatmi, Ph.D., Country Coordinator of UNEP UN-REDD Programme Indonesia, emphasized that strengthening social forestry is a key element in addressing the challenges of climate change, protecting biodiversity, and resolving protracted tenure conflicts.
According to him, legal certainty over community management rights is a crucial pillar of sustainable forest management.
"Social forestry and conflict resolution are two sides of the same coin. Secure community management rights will strengthen investment, improve welfare, and maintain forest sustainability," he said.
He added that with its extensive peat ecosystem and significant carbon stocks, Riau is strategically positioned to support national climate change mitigation and achieve the 2030 FOLU Net Sink target.
Representing the Riau Provincial Government, Purnama Irawansyah, S.Hut., M.M., Acting Head of the Riau Provincial Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), emphasized the Riau Provincial Government's commitment to making GREEN for Riau a model for low-emission development that provides tangible benefits to the community.
He emphasized that the success of GREEN for Riau is measured not only by emissions reductions achieved, but also by the economic benefits experienced by the community through sustainable forest management.
"GREEN for Riau must become a role model that can be replicated in other regions. We want to complete the implementation to generate carbon economic value that improves community welfare and supports regional development," he said.
He also emphasized that strengthening social forestry and resolving tenure conflicts are key prerequisites for sustainable forestry development.
Social Forestry as an Instrument for Welfare and Emission Reduction
In the panel session, Tubagus Aji Rahmansyah, M.SE., M.Sc., Head of the Kampar Social Forestry Center, stated that Riau Province already has 214 social forestry agreements covering an area of over 200,000 hectares. However, strengthening governance, resolving tenure conflicts, and developing community enterprises still require cross-sector collaboration.
“Social forestry cannot be implemented solely by the forestry sector. It requires the involvement of local governments, universities, civil society organizations, the business world, the media, and the community itself to ensure its management truly provides benefits,” he explained.
He also introduced the Integrated Area Development (IAD) approach as a regional development model that integrates community enterprise development, market access, investment, and conservation in a sustainable manner.
Meanwhile, Zulmansyah, S.Hut., M.AP., Director of Tenurial Conflict Management and Customary Forests, Directorate General of Social Forestry, Ministry of Forestry, who attended online, highlighted the high level of tenurial conflicts in Riau Province.
According to Ministry of Forestry data as of mid-2026, there were approximately 387 tenurial conflict complaints in Riau, one of the highest numbers nationally. This situation makes conflict resolution a priority in the implementation of JREDD+.
"Social forestry can be an instrument for conflict resolution. However, its success requires synergy between the central government, local governments, FMUs, communities, and all stakeholders," he emphasized.
Recognition of Indigenous Communities and Institutional Strengthening
Dzul Afifah Arifin, M.Sc., National Coordinator for Climate and REDD+ at UNDP Indonesia, emphasized that accelerating the recognition of indigenous communities is a crucial prerequisite for building inclusive forest governance.
"Recognition of indigenous communities is not merely a formalization of territory, but a foundation for fair, inclusive forest governance that supports the achievement of Indonesia's climate targets," he said.
Furthermore, Dr. Ir. Sony Trison, S.Hut., M.Sc., IPU, Head of the Department of Forest Management at IPB University, stated that strengthening social forestry needs to be directed at transforming community groups from simply gaining legal access to competitive, low-emission business units connected to the market chain.
"Social forestry business opportunities must be integrated and landscape-based, not just a list of commodities. A marketable and bankable business must be able to increase added value while reducing conflict and emissions. GREEN for Riau is expected to be a platform connecting social forestry groups with financing, investment, markets, and REDD+ implementation," he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Oding Affandi, S.Hut., M.P., a lecturer at the Faculty of Forestry, University of North Sumatra, explained that institutional strengthening is the main foundation for the success of social forestry. According to him, successful forest management is determined not only by legal access, but also by institutional governance, the capacity of actors, and the use of innovation and technology.
"Institutional strengthening is not just about building organizations, but also ensuring that regulations, roles, and capacity of stakeholders are implemented effectively so that ecological, social, and economic goals can be achieved sustainably," he said.
Integration of Social Forestry, Safeguards, and Financing
In the next session, Susanto Kurniawan, Social Forestry Expert at GREEN for Riau, presented the results of a study on strategies for integrating social forestry with financing opportunities and market development so that social forestry groups can develop sustainably.
"Strengthening Social forestry does not stop at providing management access. "Integration of policies, financing, and market partnerships is necessary so that community groups have business certainty and obtain sustainable economic benefits," he explained.
Next, Rahmaidi Azani, Social Forestry Technical and Knowledge Expert at GREEN for Riau, presented the results of the development of Community Forest Management Plans Aligned with REDD+ Safeguards as a guide for aligning community forest management plans with REDD+ safeguards principles.
"Community forest management plans must be able to integrate ecological, social, and economic aspects so that the benefits of social forestry can be felt by the community while supporting emission reduction targets," he said.
Conflict Resolution as a Pillar of JREDD+ Governance
In the afternoon session, Dr. Ir. Wiratno, M.Sc., Conflict Resolution Expert at GREEN for Riau, explained the typology of forestry conflicts in Riau Province and various approaches to resolution based on dialogue, mediation, and strengthening regional governance.
He emphasized that conflict resolution must be carried out in a participatory manner, involving all relevant parties. stakeholders.
"What's needed is leadership that listens, gets involved in the field, and has the courage to make decisions. "With strong collaboration, conflicts can be resolved, and forest management can benefit communities while preserving the environment," he emphasized.
Next, Andreas Albertino Hutahaean, Ph.D., Legal and Policy Expert for GREEN for Riau, explained various opportunities to strengthen regional policies to support the implementation of social forestry and the resolution of tenure conflicts within the JREDD+ framework.
According to him, harmonization of central and regional regulations is a key factor in accelerating the implementation of low-emission development in Riau Province.
The discussion then concluded with a discussion of initial steps to establish pilot locations for tenure conflict resolution in Riau Province as part of the implementation of GREEN for Riau.
The forum also emphasized the importance of strengthening cross-sectoral coordination and policy alignment between the central and regional governments to ensure effective conflict resolution.
Through this activity, all stakeholders strengthened their shared commitment to making social forestry an instrument for improving community welfare and a key pillar of sustainable forest management.
With stronger multi-stakeholder collaboration, Riau Province is expected to become a national example in integrating conflict resolution. tenure, low-emission development, and inclusive natural resource management within the Jurisdictional REDD+ framework.
