JAYAPURA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo officially submitted the Decree of Social Forestry and The Decree of the Land Object of Agrarian Reform (TORA) to six districts in Papua, Thursday (03/02/2022).

The submission carried out virtually in the form of Green Decree (Social Forestry) received as many as 31 Decree with an area of 36,003 ha for 5,247 families  and Blue Decree (Decree of Forest Area Release through Boundary Change) as many as 6 Decree, namely for Jayapura, Keerom, Nabire, Merauke, Mimika and Biak Numfor with an area of 8,873 ha.

Director of Forest Area Strengthening and Management, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Herban Heryandana after the handover event in Jayapura, said the handover was a government program to provide one access to people living in and around the forest, in the use of forest areas.

"Blue Decree is no longer a forest area, which means it can process the issuance of certificates on the land. So it can be done by the community."

"Then if the Green Decree remains a forest area, the community can use it for work and as a legal umbrella for community activities on the ground," he explained.

The Head of Papua Forestry and Environment Service, Jan Jap Ormuseray said, the handover of the decree became a starting point for the Papuan people to try, because it has given them legal certainty and rights to land granted directly by the President.

"Therefore, forest services in the area will fully support, because according to the President the land is 50 percent mandatory to plant forest wood, timber and 50 percent managed for short-term crops with assistance," he said.

He hopes that the existence of social forests and TORA can be used by the community to manage land provided by the state, to provide the widest benefits for them.

"Moreover, this is a national strategic program that is fully supported by the Ministry of Forestry and Environment and the Papua provincial government"

"Therefore, with the full support of the President for forest development, ecotourism, and non-timber forest products, this is a good start for the community in improving the economy. Especially indigenous peoples in their respective communities and fully supported by the local government and the Ministry of Forestry and Environment," he said.

Keerom Regency, which receives a TORA decree covering an area of 6,300 ha, will certainly be used for development purposes with legal use in the area of production forests, limited production forests, fixed production forests in which there are facilities and community activities.

“Several regions are also being proposed, including a corn investment plan being pushed this year in ex-oil palm land. And enter in the area outside the forest area"

"Because of the need for 10,000 ha to enter in the former business license of forest managers who have no activity by issuing a function transfer permit, because one of the programs is a 100 Ha retention pool for flood control," said Keerom Regent, Piter Gusbager.

"At the same place, Demianus Membilong the recipient of the Social Forestry Decree from Skow Mabo Village claimed to be ready to manage his forests for economic purposes.

"We have 90 ha, the potential is coconut, betel nut and sago forest. We thank you for the obstacles to licensing issues, and this submission is very helpful to launch our efforts," he concluded. ***