This paper provides an overview of the implementation and obstacles of watershed management, and the alternative solutions based on a synoptic review of related studies and experiences across Indonesia. The review found that problems in the institutional aspect were hierarchical confusion, discrepancy, and asynchrony among regulations, and weak (participation, synchronization, and coordination) among watershed management stakeholders. The weaknesses in the planning stage are integration among sectors, a lack of community participation, and limited readiness to integrate watershed planning into regional planning. Stakeholders’ involvement is also a critical factor in successful implementation of degraded watershed rehabilitation, including in peatland and mangrove areas. Failure should be minimized by providing adequate information on degraded watershed characteristics, appropriate species choices, and effective mechanical construction for soil and water conservation. Community participation as the main factor in driving watershed management should be achieved by strengthening public awareness of the importance of a sustainable watershed and providing access for the community to be involved in each stage of watershed management. Another problem is data gaps which are essential to address from the planning to evaluation stages. The gaps can be bridged by using remotely sensed data and by applying hydrological-based simulation models. Simplified criteria for watershed assessment may also be required, depending on site-specific issues and the watershed scale.

In Indonesia, 2145 watersheds currently need to be restored, where around 21 million people spread over ± 23,000 villages live below the poverty line with a high dependence on forests. This condition requires an integrated approach in watershed management, which is aimed at technically restoring environmental conditions and ensuring the welfare of the people in it. One of the strategic approaches that can be taken is to revive local wisdom and traditional knowledge (TK), which has been eroded and neglected, and integrate them with technical approaches based on modern science and knowledge. Based on the author’s research and literature studies, this paper discusses the theoretical framework and implementation practices in integrating traditional knowledge into a science-based sociotechnical system to manage upstream watersheds sustainably. Based on the empirical evidence, efforts to create good biophysical and socio-economic watershed conditions can only be achieved through the active participation of farmers in adopting and integrating scientific technology into their traditional knowledge. This integration is realized in designing and implementing watershed management technology by considering the principles of suitability, applicability, feasibility, and acceptability. In the long term, it is necessary to document TK, patent it, and transfer it to the next generation to ensure that indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ social, cultural, and economic interests are protected.

Indonesia is an archipelago with significant variations in natural resources, infrastructure, socioeconomic, culture, human resource capacity, accessibility, and access to financial and technical assistance. In this situation, integrated and unique efforts are needed to manage natural resources and build synergy between their protection and utilization to achieve water, energy, and food (WEF) security in accordance with the SDG targets. This paper analyzes the implementations of the WEF nexus in rural Indonesia by examining existing legal frameworks and other related policies, journals, textbooks, and publications. We explore factors influencing the success and failure of the implementation of the WEF nexus approaches from technical, socioeconomic, cultural, political, and institutional perspectives of the rural development framework.

Indonesian watershed management continues to struggle with various problems caused by natural disasters, particularly hydrometeorological disasters, which are worsened by the effects of climate change. Coordinating and synchronizing the interest of many parties in watershed management with various scenarios of natural conditions is a big challenge in the creation of a healthy and productive watershed. Multiple initiatives have been undertaken, from establishing rules and policies to implementing them and assessing the effects, leading to various lessons being learned for better management. This article presents a study on watershed management in Indonesia and recommends alternative improvements toward healthy and productive watershed management. A combination of a descriptive qualitative analysis of the authors’ experience in various research activities and a critical analysis is used to examine existing conditions and to formulate recommendations for better sustainable management toward a healthy and productive watershed. Most Indonesian watersheds are susceptible to degradation due to numerous threats. The challenges in Indonesian watershed management, including land degradation and climate-induced disasters, lack of synchronization and coordination, limited resources, and anthropogenic factors, have led to decreased watershed health and productivity and hindered effective management. Integrated management, especially at the micro-watershed level, addresses these challenges. Successful integrated watershed management requires community involvement, appropriate management action for specific locations, technological support, regulatory alignment, and stakeholder collaboration to ensure a healthy, productive, and sustainable watershed for present and future generations.

Dominated by mountainous topography, high rainfall, and erosion-sensitive soil types, and with the majority of its population living in rural areas as farmers, most of Indonesia’s watersheds are highly vulnerable to erosion. In 1984, the Government of Indonesia established 22 priority watersheds to be handled, which marked the start of formal soil and water conservation activities. Although it has not fully succeeded in improving watershed conditions from all aspects, something which is indicated by fluctuations in the area of degraded land, over the past 40 years the Indonesian government has systematically implemented various soil and water conservation techniques in various areas with the support of policies, laws and regulations, and research and development. These systematic efforts have shown positive results, with a 40% reduction in the area of degraded land over the last 15 years from 2004–2018. This paper reviews policy, implementation, and research and development of soil and water conservation activities in Indonesia over the last 40 years from the 1980s to 2020 and explores the dynamics of the activities.