Social forestry (perhutanan sosial) is Indonesia's programme for giving local communities legal rights to manage state forest land. Community groups receive permits under schemes such as village forests, community forests and forestry partnerships, and manage the land under agreed rules. This is what moved in 2026.
New permits handed over
The Ministry of Forestry kept handing out social forestry decrees through the year, including in the new capital region in East Kalimantan in March and to six forest farmer groups in Lombok. Progress differs by province. In East Java, about 22 percent of a 66,000-hectare target had been reached by August.
Cooperatives and poverty
The ministry proposed making social forestry a National Strategic Programme again, as a tool against extreme poverty. Its plans for 2026 also include turning forest farmer groups into legally registered cooperatives.
Carbon and the region
A new regulation, Ministry of Forestry Regulation No. 6 of 2026, sets rules for forestry carbon trading and is described as making room for local communities. In August, Jakarta hosted an ASEAN forum on legal frameworks for social forestry, with representatives from 11 ASEAN countries. Indonesia reaffirmed its role as lead country of the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry.
The timber question
Social forestry is mainly about access to land and livelihoods, not timber. A 2021 regulation bars holders of some permits, including village forests and community forests, from harvesting timber. Commentators disagree on whether the programme should play a larger part in supplying legal wood.
For more on where Indonesia's teak comes from, read Where Indonesian teak grows.