Wildfires in Indonesia are an annual phenomenon which peak in dry El Nino years, with up to 2.6 million ha of forest and land burnt in the drought year of 2015. This is an annual disaster for the country and surrounding region, with severe impacts on the environment, as well as human health, economic and social factors. Forest Management Units (FMUs, known locally as Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan, KPH) are the implementation agencies on the ground that play a strategic role in both the prevention and suppression of forest fires. FMUs are mandated to establish a local fire brigade, to provide adequate personnel and equipment, and to carry out fire prevention as well as suppression programs. This research aimed to analyze the performance of forest fire-related policy implementation. The study was based on five FMUs in fire-prone regions of Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra, Indonesia. The performance of the FMUs is measured by achievement of the policy objectives and effectiveness of policy implementation. Our analysis shows the policies, standards and objectives to manage fire are clear for FMUs, but there are challenges in their implementation, such that fire control activities have not been fully implemented. Most FMUs have limited capacity and resources, as well as complicated budget mechanisms and low community participation. Strengthening FMU capacity will significantly improve their performance in forest fire control, particularly in the initial stages. This can be done at three scales: personnel, organization and system.

Social forestry (SF) has long been implemented in production and protected forests in Indonesia. SF is considered to be a win–win solution for occupied and cultivated forest areas. The aim of this paper was to review the implementation of social forestry in Indonesia and its strengths and challenges. The secondary purpose was to synthesize the lessons learned and recommendations for the government about designing SF that can integrate the objective of forest biodiversity conservation and the social welfare of the surrounding communities. The study used a systematic literature review (SLR) of international and national peer-reviewed articles. The results of the study indicate that SF is intended to achieve benefits in three main areas: social, economic, and ecological. However, the review found that the ecological aspects of biodiversity conservation often receive less attention compared to the social and economic goals. A strong point of SF implementation is increasing community access to forest land use, while a challenge that must be resolved is that including communities in forest management can result in fragmentation and changes to animal habitats; thus, there is the potential for population decline and extinction. This study advises policymakers to pay more attention to ecological functions to ensure forest sustainability in SF development.

The domestic silkworm or mulberry silk moth, B. mori L., provides more than 99% of the world’s silk. Silk, as a sericulture product, was first introduced in Indonesia through a trade mechanism and began to develop in 1953. Several factors (economic, ecological, market, and cultural) support sericulture and make it become one of the non-timber forest product priorities. However, the competitive advantages alone have not encouraged the development of prospective sericulture industry in Indonesia yet. This paper is a review of tropical sericulture development in Indonesia. The literature on the development of sericulture in Indonesia between 1989 and 2022 is used to describe conditions related to mulberry cultivation (moriculture), and silkworm rearing (sericulture), as well as the state of socio-economic development, culture, and institutions. Moriculture and sericulture techniques, socio-economic aspects, institutional arrangements, and community motivations are intertwined, creating a challenging atmosphere for sericulture development. There are potential resources, such as exploring quality mulberry production and quality silkworm production through research and development, valuable cultural aspects, and potential stakeholders to build network engagement. Commitment, cooperation, and action from all stakeholders are needed to enhance the development of sericulture in Indonesia. In this context, the central government can play an important role in facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships in the development of integrated sericulture in Indonesia.

Forest and land fires are problems that have not been resolved and occur almost every year. Various policies related to forest and land fires began to be promoted nationally and have restricted communities in managing their land. This causes a vulnerability in society. Farmers are required to carry out various methods and strategies to overcome economic problems. This research aims to analyze the livelihood assets and livelihood strategies of farmer households. The study was conducted from February to June 2020 in Pulu Beruang Village, Tulung Selapan Sub-District, and Kayu Labu Village, Pedamaran Timur Sub-District, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency. This research is a survey research using a mixed sequential explanatory approach by using the triangulation principle.The quantitative data collection is done through a household survey using a questionnaire to 75 respondents in Pulu Beruang Village and 70 respondents in Kayu Labu Village.Qualitative data collection was carried out through in-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and field observation. The results showed that Pulu Beruang Village had a greater asset score in human capital and financial capital. In comparison, Kayu Labu Village had a greater score in natural capital. Physical capital and social capital in both villages had scores that were not distinctly different. Hence, they did not have a different effect on community resilience. Livelihood assets owned by the community influence their household livelihood strategies. The household livelihood strategy in Pulu Beruang Village uses human capital and financial capital, agricultural sector and non-agriculture, especially trading, and swallow’s nest business. Meanwhile, the livelihood strategies of farmers’ households in Kayu Labu Village rely on their natural capital and agricultural sectors, such as fisheries and purun crafts.Keywords: forest and land fires, livelihood asset, livelihood strategies

The government has granted Social Forestry (SF) management licenses since 2014, in the Village Forest and Community Forestry scheme, for communities around the forest in the highlands of South Sumatra. However, until early 2019, most of the SF groups still did not have a concept or vision of what was to be designed. The work area of SF is generally a stretch of monoculture coffee plantations. Within the frame of a sustainable forest management system, they are confused about making plans and actions. We conducted action research at two Village Forest groups in Muara Enim, South Sumatra, to encourage the implementation of independent SF. We use Vayda’s progressive contextualization research approach. We found the desire of farmers to make Kebun-Ghepang in the SF work area, not just tree planting activities, as requested by the forester. Ghepang is a term of the Besemah ethnic people for fruit gardens that resemble forests, generally dominated by durian trees. Ghepang is a legacy of ancestors. Kebun-ghepang is an imagined forest by both the local community and foresters. The formation and conception of Kebun Ghepang would be an ecological and institutional reference in managing and building SF work areas, as analyzed in this paper.