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Vol. 5 No. 2 (2021): NOVEMBER

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Poor science meets political neglect: Land use changes of high conservation value forests in Indonesia

https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i2.13451
Arnanto Nurprabowo
Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
San Afri Awang
Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Sigit Hardwinarto
Faculty of Forestry, Mulawarman University, Samarinda, Indonesia
Budi Dharmawan
Department of Agricultural Economics and Social Sciences, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto, Indonesia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1939-3890
Muhammad Haidar Daulay
Sebijak Institute (Research Center for Forest Policy & History), Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7517-699X
Ahmad Maryudi
Sebijak Institute (Research Center for Forest Policy & History), Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5051-7217

Corresponding Author(s) : Arnanto Nurprabowo

prabowoarnanto@yahoo.com

Forest and Society, Vol. 5 No. 2 (2021): NOVEMBER

Abstract

Forest land allocation and use in Indonesia have been politically contested and characterized by poor data and competing interests of different institutions. This study analyzes the process of integrating scientific findings in policymaking about land use and changes. The focus is on the processes related to the changes of Highly Important Forest Zones with Strategic Values (Dampak Penting Cakupan Luas dan bernilai Strategis/DPCLS). DPCLS forests are unique as any changes require approval from the parliament to complement the processes at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and must be based on rigorous scientific evaluation. This study uses the case of Riau Islands (Kepri) Province, previously part of Riau Province, which to date is one of only two Indonesian provinces yet to accept the forest zonings of the Ministry. The province’s strategic positions as exclusive economic and free trade zones make it further interesting in terms of land allocation as land becomes increasingly valuable for other uses. This paper specifically asks how the scientific investigation on the potential land use changes were conducted, how reliable the discoveries are, and how they were utilized in multiple steps at different institutions from the proposal evaluations to the approval stages. Our research indicates that scientific findings have rarely been integrated in policy making regarding DPCLS forests in Kepri Province. In addition, the scientific findings are weak; the institution producing them is heavily dominated by government officials and paid consultants/ experts. The scientific body was only established to fulfill the formal processes required by the regulatory frameworks. Proposals and decisions on the changes of DPCLS forests in Kepri Province are more characterized by political considerations. The “scientific findings” of the current land use in Kepri Province is used as a political commodity (or commodities) to support the interests of actors.

Keywords

science-policy interface forest policy land use change interest power Indonesia
Nurprabowo, A., Awang, S. A., Hardwinarto, S., Dharmawan, B., Daulay, M. H., & Maryudi, A. (2021). Poor science meets political neglect: Land use changes of high conservation value forests in Indonesia. Forest and Society, 5(2), 199-208. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i2.13451
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Author Biographies

Arnanto Nurprabowo, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Arnanto Nurprabowo was born in Jakarta, studied Forestry (Bachelor and Master) at Universitas Gadjah Mada. Between 2014 and 2019, he served as a member of expert staff at DPR RI. Now, he is serving as a special staff of the Ministry of Investment of Republic Indonesia.
Ahmad Maryudi, Sebijak Institute (Research Center for Forest Policy & History), Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Ahmad Maryudi is a Professor (Full) at Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia). He is the chairperson of Sebijak Institute (Research Center for Forest Policy and History) of Faculty of Forestry. He holds a PhD in Forest Development Policy from Göttingen University. His research interests include forest policy analysis, forest governance, community forestry policy, land use policy, small-scale forestry in Indonesia. He serves as a deputy coordinator of IUFRO's Forest Policy and Economics (Division 9) & an Associate Editor at Forest Policy and Economics (Links: Scopus, Research Gate, ORCID)
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