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.

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.

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.

Agroforestry systems, particularly the coffee agroforestry system (CAS), represent a promising approach to achieving sustainable development and promoting a green economy in Indonesia. Our research aims to explore the potential of CAS to provide ecosystem services and socio-economic benefits and address environmental risks in Indonesia. To critically analyze the current state of CAS in Indonesia, its potential for sustainable development, and the challenges that should be addressed to increase its uptake, we conducted a systematic review of published academic literature. Our findings suggest that CAS has the potential to turn a profit in the future thanks to rising global and domestic market demand as well as environmental benefits like reducing carbon emissions and improving resource efficiency. However, several challenges should be addressed to improve coffee quality and sustain green economy activities, including product certification, collaboration with NGOs and business entities, and coordination of government policies at the site level. Overall, this study highlights the importance of CAS as a green economy approach in Indonesia and suggests policy recommendations to support its promotion and adoption. By addressing the challenges and promoting the potential of CAS, sustainable development and green economic growth can be achieved in Indonesia.

Indonesia’s tropical peatlands are one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, and they are facing the threat of extensive degradation and conversion. The Indonesian government is committed to peat restoration. However, restoration is still a costly, top-down approach lacking community participation, and is focused on the 3R scheme (rewetting, revegetation, and revitalization). Peatland restoration businesses are part of the innovative effort to finance this endeavor. Unfortunately, there is not much information available about the pre-conditions required to create a restoration business. This study seeks to understand the enabling conditions for the development of peatland restoration, with a focus on the tamanu oil business, and to assess whether the same situation might apply in the context of the restoration of degraded peatland. PEST analysis is used to describe the macro-environmental factors of the tamanu oil business and its development opportunities in degraded peatlands. Tamanu oil-based peat ecosystem restoration businesses offer good prospects because of the growing it has grown the bioenergy and biomedical markets, and they can cover a larger area of degraded peatland landscape. For tamanu oil businesses to succeed in peat ecosystem restoration, we recommend that policy documents at various levels include tamanu as a priority commodity for peatland restoration and alternative community businesses, followed by planting programs by all stakeholders. The government and social organizations must take positions as initiators and catalysts, establish a significant number and extent of pilot tamanu plantations, and create a mutually supportive business climate between entrepreneurs and peatland managers.

Pressure on peat swamp forests in Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency for timber extraction, agricultural land, oil palm plantations, and pulp and paper plantation forests cause degradation of peat swamp forest. Communities living around peat swamp forests in OKI Regency are affected by changes of peat swamp forests and Covid-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the livelihood strategies of communities around peat swamp forests due to degradation of peat swamp forests and Covid-19 pandemic. The sustainable livelihood analysis was used as an analytical framework in this study. The data obtained were analyzed descriptively qualitatively and quantitatively. The diversification strategy was appropriate to be implemented because it allows the community to achieve improved welfare and be sustainable under peat swamp forest ecosystem change and Covid-19 Pandemic. The diversification strategy also reduced community dependence on natural resource-based livelihoods. Increasing the quality and quantity of human, social, financial, and physical capital were enabling the diversification strategy.