The Movement of Communities To Restore Forests Inside National Parks

Until 2020, the critical land in Indonesia accounted for 14 million hectares due to degradation, illegal logging, and forest encroachment. The conservation area, which includes national parks, is included in the barren land. Many attempts have been made over the years, including by local communities and organisations, to restore the function of the forest in the park. Some efforts paid off, transforming barren land into secondary forest, as seen in Lampung Province's Way Kambas National Park, where grass fields have been altered into trees. A similar effect occurs in Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, where efforts to regenerate the forest have also converted illegal miners into tree-growers and park guardian.

Nonetheless, despite this progress, many challenges remain. Annual fires, poaching, and illegal miners continue to pose a threat to the forest's growth.

The collaboration team of Betahita and Mongabay Indonesia will explore the following questions in this project: What motivated communities to replant forests? What are the difficulties? How does it function? And what is the outlook for Indonesia's forests in the future?