Community forest rehabilitation, vegetation dynamics, and social-ecological governance in Selobanteng, East Java, Indonesia

Lavianti N, Wardana FC, Batoro J, Afiyanti M, Koentjoro MP, Kundariati M, Widianto T, Yusuf M, Lubab M, Hidayat R. 2026. Community forest rehabilitation, vegetation dynamics, and social-ecological governance in Selobanteng, East Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 27 (9): d270929. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270929. Forest degradation threatens biodiversity, ecosystem services, and rural livelihoods in Indonesia. This study explored how a community forest rehabilitation program in Selobanteng Village, Situbondo, East Java, is working through a mix of methods that look at both ecological and social aspects. We examined ecological data from 2015 to 2024, including vegetation monitoring, a 2024 survey of 20 plots around springs, and satellite images comparing NDVI from 2019 and 2024. In 2026, we gathered social information through surveys with 36 community members and 40 stakeholders, along with interviews and a focus group discussion. The number of plant species grew from 66 in 2015 to 152 in 2024, with the inventory noting 3,173 individual plants from 152 species across 49 families, showing high diversity and evenness. Trend analysis showed a steady increase in species count and richness over time, though some diversity measures did not show significant long-term changes. NDVI images revealed that greener areas expanded, with less vegetation zones shrinking nearly completely, while areas with moderate and high greenness grew. People’s perception of biodiversity was positively connected to how they viewed the economic benefits of the program. A SWOT analysis suggested that the program is in a strong position for growth, encouraging an active and progressive approach. Overall, the findings highlight ecological improvements and positive social perceptions, though it’s important to note that we can't directly prove cause and effect, and some data were collected retrospectively or from specific sites. Hence, the vegetation evidence was based on 20 plots located around five spring water sources; the findings should not be generalized to the wider >1,000 ha Selobanteng community forest without further spatially representative sampling.