Seventy-five percent of Berau Regency’s land area in East Kalimantan consists of natural forest. This vital natural resource requires integrated land and forest governance planning to ensure it is managed in a way that maximises benefits while remaining sustainable.
Read: Nature Conservation by Communities
Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) fully supports the Berau Regency Government’s commitment to this cause. Through close collaboration and partnerships, YKAN builds networks with various stakeholders to support effective governance concepts in Berau Regency.
On 11 November 2025, the Berau Regency Government took a strategic step by holding a socialisation event for the Integrated Area Development (IAD) Document of Berau Regency while also introducing the role distribution of the Social Forestry Working Group (Pokja). The IAD for Social Forestry (PS) is an integrated development concept designed to manage forest areas sustainably, involving multiple parties—government, communities, academics, businesses, and media—through the pentahelix collaboration model. This socialisation event demonstrated Berau Regency’s commitment to strengthening collaborative land and forest governance.
Regional Secretary (Sekda) Muhammad Said, officially opening the event on behalf of Regent Sri Juniarsih, emphasised the importance of the IAD document as a foundation for accurate and participatory development planning. He also highlighted the strategic role of the Social Forestry Pokja in supporting sustainable social forestry programs in Berau. The Pokja’s key responsibility is to oversee and ensure the success of social forestry initiatives, which are expected to improve community welfare while conserving forests.
This strategic move by the Berau Regency Government deserves appreciation. The IAD document serves as a reference for land and governance planning, designed using diverse spatial, ecological, and socio-economic information. With the IAD document and the socialisation of Pokja roles, it is hoped that all relevant parties will provide support and participation in advancing social forestry programs in Berau Regency, delivering optimal benefits for both people and the environment.
Furthermore, the Berau IAD document is significant because few regions in Indonesia have such a plan. As of early 2025, the Social Forestry-Based IAD program had only been implemented in a few areas, including Lumajang (East Java) and Belitung as pioneers, as well as pilot projects in West Kalimantan (Sintang, Kapuas Hulu, Kubu Raya), South Lampung, West Sumatra, Ogan Komering Ilir (South Sumatra), and Bulungan Regency (North Kalimantan) in the Kayan Landscape.
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