Evaluating a forestry partnership between a private company and local people in East Kalimantan, Indonesia: a political ecology approach

The national social forestry program, launched to encompass 12.7 million hectares, aims to maintain sustainable forest management, to empower local people in their socioeconomic lives, to open job employment, and to mitigate land tenure conflicts. Community empowerment through forestry partnerships between private companies and local communities seeks to provide the benefit of optimal forest resource management and to operate fairly in order to improve the welfare of local communities. In this sense, the goal is for the local community to benefit directly through strengthening capacity and gradually develop into a strong economic actor ‐ independent, responsible and professional. This article aims to accomplish two critical objectives: 1) to examine the significance of forestry partnerships as media of local people’s empowerment in their socioeconomic lives; and 2) to explore joint forest management (JFM) in regard to collaboration among actors ‐ private companies, academics, NGOs, local governments and local communities ‐ in the management of agroforestry and promotion of ecotourism through better facilities and management of such attractions as the Tambalang Waterfall in East Kalimantan. Findings indicate that the forestry partnerships under the aegis of the social forestry program can have very positive effects in terms of mitigating land tenure conflict, building local infrastructure such as roads and drainage facilities to prevent floods, soil erosion, and other disasters, and empowering local people in the framework of an agroforestry program. This study used a qualitative approach, including such methods as in-depth interviews, participatory observation and library research. A variant of political ecology was used as a theoretical framework in order to emphasise the role of actors in the program.