Community Participation in Various Stages of Non-Timber Forest Product Management in the Community Forestry Scheme in Indonesia

Community participation is a key component of sustainable forest management, particularly in social forestry schemes that utilize non-timber forest products (NTFP). However, empirical evidence on how participation varies across specific operational stages of NTFP management remains limited, especially in Indonesian Community Forest settings. Examining participation at different stages is important because involvement in nursery, planting, maintenance, and harvesting may reflect distinct responsibilities, incentives, and benefit-sharing arrangements. This study therefore aimed to analyze community participation across four operational stages of NTFP management in the Tebing Siring Community Forest, Tanah Laut Regency, South Kalimantan. A descriptive quantitative case-study design was applied to 20 purposively selected members from a population of 65 group members. Participants were selected based on their involvement in NTFP management activities and availability during data collection. Participation was assessed using a four-point ordinal rating scale, with higher scores indicating greater participation. Descriptive analysis showed mean scores of 3.20 for nursery, 2.95 for planting, 2.70 for maintenance, and 2.65 for harvesting. These results suggest greater participation in the first stages and less in maintenance and harvesting. However, the Friedman test found no statistically significant differences between the four stages (X2 = 2.73; df = 3; p = 0.436) and Kendall’s W suggested very weak concordance (W = 0.045). The observed differences across stages should thus be viewed as descriptive patterns rather than statistically validated differences. The study contributes a stage-based perspective for evaluating community engagement in social forestry management. The findings suggest clarifying maintenance responsibilities and improving transparency in harvesting and benefit-sharing arrangements. Nevertheless, the small, purposively selected sample limits generalizability. Future studies should use larger, more representative samples, validate the participation measurement instrument, and examine factors influencing participation using inferential or causal analyses.