Social Forestry was old issue that is more progress in Indonesian context. The latest regulation of Forestry Ministry provides community participation on state land forest management as mean as management rights on community forest, village forest, community forest plantation and partnership law model. The law schemes of social forestry could be seen on PP No.3/2008 about Social Forestry Implementation.

Focus on statement of representative person of Ministry of Forestry who is present on Asean Social Forestry Network (ASFN) Meeting in Jogyakarta (6/15), San Afri Awang, social forestry expert of Ministry of Forestry (MoF) said, “Social Forestry is not new forestry issue, after World Forestry Congress had been held on 1978 in Indonesia, Social Forestry in practices level has many models and many meanings. And it does not matter.”

The first day meeting of ASFN launched the meaning of Social Forestry that is viewed stagnancy in practices level. The launching just make sure that Social Forestry meaning of ASFN version is related with practices level in each of Asean countries progress condition.

The meeting has theme are Social Forestry in Contributing to Food Security and in Addressing Climate Changes (ambiguous theme) is just annual formal meeting of all Asean country members. The meeting does not have special target to forward Social Forestry as becoming legal model of non state forest based management as especially for recognition of community based forest system management which is developed by local (indigenous) community who lives around and in the forest.

Awang also said, “Social Forestry implementation was promoted and identified on agro forestry aspect and practices, if we explore it in research approach that will be found many models of Social Forestry in fact.”

Related to Awang statement, the representative person of FAO who gave opinion in the first day meeting, Simmathiri Appanah said, “Principle of forestry is how to forestry protect the agriculture. All needs of agriculture process are come from good forestry condition as like as water catchment’s area which is irrigation sources of agriculture.”

Indonesian Context

Implementation of Social Forestry regulation is not enough optimal. Awang in his presentation material show that Indonesian government only reached 50.000 hectares Social Forestry area of 400.000 hectares state land forest as community forest and village forest in the end of 2009. The presentation also views that community forest plantation (HTI-forest plantation estate and HTR-community forest plantation) is more progress than other models. In the end of 2009, implementation of HTR reached 500.000 hectares of 2,1 million hectares of targeted area of critical state forest land.

The condition is forwarded by capital incentive scheme of community forest plantation that is moved by 9 trillion rupiah of Rehabilitation Fund. By NES (Nucleus Estate and Smallholders) approach, the government provides forest plantation industry could to join community to get the fund for developing community forest plantation and expansion of forest plantation.

Other Social Forestry experiences in each Asean countries were not represent of many facts of field condition. It is just for viewing one aspect of Social Forestry as participation aspect that showed Asean is too late to speak Social Forestry in the world.