Decentralisation and Indonesian forestry sector

With Indonesia's ongoing processes of decentralisation and regional autonomy significant degrees of authority over forest administration have now, for the first time, been transferred to the provincial and district governments. In some areas, this shift has intensified pressures on forests, while in other areas it has made government decision-making more responsive to communities whose livelihoods depend on forest resources.

CIFOR has carried out research on the preliminary impacts of decentralization on forest administration and management in 9 districts in 4 provinces, including East, Central, and West Kalimantan and Riau. Six drafts from these case studies are included here and CIFOR is inviting feedback so that the findings can contribute towards a more informed decentralisation process.

The case studies included are:

• The Effect of Indonesia’s Decentralisation on Forests and Estate Crops: Case Study of Riau Province, the Original Districts of Kampar and Indragiri Hulu
• Decentralisation of Policy Making and Administration of Policies Affecting Forests and Estate Crops in Ktawaringin Timur
• Decentralisation, Local Communities and Forest Management in Barito Selatan
• Decentralisation and Forest Management in Kapuas District
• Decentralisation of Policy Making and the Administration of Policies Affecting Forests and Estate Crops in Kutai Barat, East Kalimantan
• The Impacts of Decentralisation on Forests and Forest-Dependent Communities in Kabupaten Mainau, East Kalimantan