Low level of community participation in community forest (HKm) based on a case study from Polewali Mandar, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Article Sidebar
Abstract Views: 18
File Views: 13
Main Article Content
Abstract
Abstract. Sukran M, Sadapotto A, Arif A. 2026. Low level of community participation in community forest (HKm) based on a case study from Polewali Mandar, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Asian J For 10 (1): r100140. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjfor/r100140. Community participation is a key determinant of the effectiveness of social forestry programs, particularly under the community forest (Hutan Kemasyarakatan/HKm) scheme in Indonesia. Meaningful involvement of local communities across all stages of forest management is essential to ensure ecological sustainability while improving livelihoods. This study aims to assess the level of community participation in HKm management, identify factors influencing participation, and formulate priority strategies to enhance community involvement. The study was conducted in Barumbung Village, Matakali Sub-district, Polewali Mandar District, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data were collected from 62 members of the Ujung Karondang forest farmer group through field observations, structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document review. Community participation was assessed across three principal stages of HKm management: planning, implementation, and evaluation. Participation was measured using eight participation criteria distributed across these three stages. Each criterion was operationalized into eight questionnaire statements, yielding a total of 64 indicators evaluated on a five-point Likert scale. Participation levels were analyzed using Arnstein’s ladder of participation, while force field analysis was applied to identify key driving and constraining factors and to determine priority improvement strategies. The results indicate that community participation in HKm management is predominantly classified as non-participation, accounting for 96.77% of respondents. The term overall participation refers to the aggregated participation score derived from all three management stages (planning, implementation, and evaluation), which was subsequently classified into participation categories based on Arnstein’s framework. Despite the provision of legal access rights, substantive community involvement in decision-making remains limited. Based on force field analysis results, two highest-priority strategies were identified: strengthening the role and capacity of group facilitators, and enhancing access to tangible production support, particularly seed assistance, to increase community motivation and engagement. These strategies are critical for promoting a transition from non-participation toward more active and meaningful community engagement in HKm management.
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Ajijah LN, Safe’i R, Yuwono SB. 2022. Tingkat partisipasi masyarakat dalam pengelolaan hutan di HKm Harapan Sentosa KPHL Batutegi. Ulin: Jurnal Hutan Tropis 6 (2): 114-120. https://doi.org/10.22146/jik.v16i2.2540. [Indonesian]
Arab-Zozani M, Pezeshki MZ, Khodayari-Zarnaq R, Janati A. 2019. Balancing overuse and underuse in the iranian healthcare system: A force field theory analysis. Ethiop J Health Sci 29 (2): 231. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v29i2.10.
Ardyanto N, Wulandari C, Bakri S, Febryano IG. 2026. Evaluating the Effectiveness of social forestry: A meta-analysis of policy documents and implementation. Jurnal Pemerintahan dan Kebijakan 7 (2): 129-141. https://doi.org/10.18196/jpk.v7i2.27416.
Arnstein SR. 1969. A ladder of citizen participation. J Am Inst Plann 35 (4): 216-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944366908977225.
Baldessari S, Paletto A, Meo ID. 2024. Rethinking public participation in forest policies: A literature review of participatory techniques. Forests 15 (9): 1514. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091514.
Chawla S, Morrison TH, Cumming GS. 2024. Actor resistance influences effectiveness of Ostrom’s design principles for governing contested landscapes. Intl J Commons 18 (1): 351-368. https://doi.org/10.5334/ijc.1242.
Conyers D. 1991. Social Planning in the Third World. UGM Press, Yogyakarta.
Dmuchowski W, Baczewska-Dabrowska AH, Gworek B. 2024. The role of temperate agroforestry in mitigating climate change: A review. For Policy Econ 159: 103136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2023.103136.
Friedman RS, Guerrero AM, McAllister RRJ, Rhodes JR, Santika T, Budiharta S, Indrawan TP, Hutabarat JA, Kusworo A, Yogaswara H, Meijaard E, John FAVS, Struebig MJ, Wilson KA. 2020. Beyond the community in participatory forest managament: A governance network perpective. Land Use Policy 97: 104738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104738.
Gunawan H, Yeny I, Karlina E et al. 2022. Integrating social forestry and biodiversity conservation in Indonesia. Forests 13 (12): 2152. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122152.
Hajjar R, Oldekop JA, Cronkleton P. 2021. A global analysis of the social and environmental outcomes of community forests. Nat Sustain 4: 216-224. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00633-y.
Hayati N, Prasetyawati CA, Dewi IN, Yuliantoro I, Tata HL, Suharti S, Khotimah H. 2025. Participatory selection of plant species to enhance the succes of forest rehabilitation in Bulusaraung Forest Management Unit. Indones J For Res 12 (2): 169-187. https://doi.org/10.59465/ijfr.2025.12.2.169-187.
Ilfa AA, Supratman, Sahide MAK. 2021. Partisipasi pemuda dalam pengelolaan hutan kemasyarakatan di Desa Kahayya Kabupaten Bulukumba. Jurnal Belantara 4 (1): 26-38. https://doi.org/10.29303/jbl.v4i1.600. [Indonesian]
Jung DR, Vendrametto O. 2025. Agroforestry for food security and public health: A comprehensive review. Intl J Environ Res Public Health 22: 645. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22040645.
Kailola J. 2023. Partisipasi masyarakat pasca penetapan program perhutanan sosial dalam pengelolaan Hutan Lindung Gunung Hamiding di Kabupaten Halmahera Utara. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Pertanian 289-299. Kupang, Indonesia, 12 Oktober 2023. [Indonesian]
Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan. 2023. Keputusan Menteri LHK No. SK.10748/MENLHK-PSKL/PKPS/PSL.0/9/2023 tentang Persetujuan Pengelolaan Hutan Kemasyarakatan kepada KTH Ujung Karondang. KLHK RI, Jakarta. [Indonesian]
Law Number 41 of 1999. Forestry. KLHK RI, Jakarta. [Indonesian]
Lawasi MA. 2024. Unveiling the shortcomings of social forestry programs in Indonesia: A critical analysis of farmer empowerment initiatives. Jurnal Sylva Lestari 12 (3): 866-889. https://doi.org/10.23960/jsl.v12i3.945.
Maleknia R, ChamCham J. 2024. Participatory intention and behavior towards riparian peri-urban forests management; an extended theory of planned behavior application. Front Psychol 15: 1372354. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1372354.
Maleknia R. 2024. How Perception of environmental and social justice drive citizen’s satisfaction and intention to engage with urban forests management?. Heliyon 11 (1): e41274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e41274.
Maros A, Sunaryo J, Hidayat NA. 2020. Faktor penghambat partisipasi masyarakat dalam perencanaan pembangunan di Desa Teluk Panjang. Simposium Nasional Multidisiplin (SinaMu) 2: 1-5. https://doi.org/10.31000/sinamu.v2i0.3234. [Indonesian]
Muluk MK, Nashihah D. 2021. Reinventing focused-strategy for coastal community empowerment. Asia Social Issues 14 (6): 248515. https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/asi/article/view/248515.
Muluneh A, Sime G. 2024. Participatory forest management for sustainable rural livelihoods and forest ecosystem services: The case of Deneba Forest managing cooperative in Ethiopia. J For Nat Conserv 78: 126580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2024.126580.
Ntwana B, Naidoo V. 2024. The impact of public participation through invited and invented spaces on water supply in urban informal settlements. Urban Forum 35: 571-601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12132-024-09523-4.
Oakley P. 1991. Projects with People: The Practice of Participation in Rural Development. International Labour Office, Geneva.
Pavloudakis F, Spanidis PM, Roumpos C. 2023. Using force field analysis for examining and managing stakeholders’ perceptions of mining projects. Mater Proceedings 15 (1): 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/materproc2023015005.
Rahayu S, Sakuntaladewi N, Sumirat BK, Widyaningsih TS, Yusnikusumah TR, Muin N, Bisjoe ARH. 2024. The role of local goverments in supporting social forestry implementation in Indonesia: A social network analysis and evidence from Eastern Indonesia. For Soc 8 (1): 154-178. http://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v8i1.28524.
Rakatama A, Pandit R. 2020. Reviewing social forestry schemes in Indonesia: Opportunities and challenges. For Policy Econ 111: 102052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2019.102052
Ramadhan R, Afiq MD, Anggara A, Triwanto J. 2025. Community welfare and forest sustainability in social forestry programs: A case study of KTH Bhakti Alam Lestari in Malang, East Java. Indones J Res 12 (1): 13-26. https://doi.org/10.59465/ijfr.2025.12.1.13-26.
Ramadhani SP, Sundawati L, Kuncahyo B. 2023. Analysis of factors influencing community participation in sustainable forest management in BKPH Mojorayung. J Nat Resour Environ Manag 14 (1): 139-147. https://doi.org/10.29244/jpsl.14.1.139
Roslinda E, Rianti R, Ershinta H. 2022. Participation analysis of social forestry program: Case study in Sanggau District, Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Kehutanan 16 (2): 128-141. https://doi.org/10.22146/jik.v16i2.2540.
Runtuboi YY, Permadi DB, Sahide MAK, Maryudi A. 2021. Oil palm plantations, forest conservation and indigenous peoples in West Papua Province. For Soc 5 (1): 23-31. https://doi.org/10.24259/fs.v5i1.
Sahide MAK, Fisher MR, Erbaugh JT, Intarini D, Dharmiasih W, Makmur M, Faturachmat F, Verheijen B, Maryudi A. 2020. The boom of social forestry policy and the bust of social forests in Indonesia: Developing and applying an access-exclusion framework to assess policy outcomes. For Policy Econ 120: 102290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102290.
Sirimorok N, Sahide MAK, Herrawan H, Faturachmat F, Maryudi A. 2024. Linking commoning with social forestry: An Indonesian case. Trees For People 18: 100737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100737.
Tirkaamiana MT, Ismail, Syahfari H, Nirwanda V, Ramayana AS. 2023. Community participation in implementation of social forestry program in the UPTD KPHP Santan Area, East Kalimantan Province. GPH Intl J Agric Res 6 (11): 30-41. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10648842.
Toumbourou TD, Dunphy M, Mulyani L, Auwalin I, Rumaya, Hartoto, AS, Aji GB, Utomo MMB, Amin NA, Yaman Y, Fakhrani FA, Yasmin PA, Afriyani AA, Arisanti D, Tjawikrama D, Friedman RS, Rawluk A. 2025. Social forestry for a good life? The uneven well‐being benefits of Indonesia’s social forestry scheme. People Nat 7: 1443-1463. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70042.
Tranchina M, Reubens B, Frey M, Mele M, Mantino A. 2024. What challenges impede the adoption of agroforestry practices? A global perspective through a systematic literature review. Agroforest Syst 98: 1817-1837. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-024-00993-w.
Wijayanti ARY, Sila SAR, Zamzam N, Saharuddin, Supratman, Arafat A. 2025. Strategies for strengthening social building in a forest farmer group: An FFA and AHP approach. Gorontalo J For Res 8 (2). https://doi.org/10.32662/gjfr.v8i2.4441.
Witno, Maria, Supandi D. 2020. Partisipasi masyarakat dalam pengelolaan Hutan Kemasyarakatan (HKM) Tandung Billa di Kelurahan Battang Kota Palopo. Jurnal Penelitian Kehutanan Bonita 2 (2): 35-42. https://doi.org/10.55285/bonita.v2i2.556. [Indonesian]
Worku A. 2024. The role of agroforestry in ecosystem services and mitigation of climate change. Veg Crops Russ 4: 111-119. https://doi.org/10.18619/2072-9146-2024-4-111-119.
Yang Y, Xiong K, Xiao J. 2024. A review of agroforestry biodiversity-driven provision of ecosystem services and implications for karst desertification control. Ecosyst Serv 67: 101634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2024.101634.
Yuniastoeti V, Rahmafitria F. 2024. Analyzing local community participation and barriers in tourism village development: A case study of Mekarlaksana Village. Spat Plan Manag Sci 1 (2): 61-70. https://doi.org/10.61511/spms.v1i2.2024.1299.
Yusuf M, Astiko W. 2025. Agroforestry as an ecological approach to support sustainability of dryland agroecosystems in Pringgabaya District, East Lombok. Jurnal Biologi Tropis 25 (4): 5309-5324. https://doi.org/10.29303/jbt.v25i4.10016.