Acceleration of Green Development, Bulungan Regency Partners with IPB University and YKAN

The Bulungan Regency Government (Pemkab Bulungan) has partnered with the environmental non-profit organization Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) and IPB University to accelerate green development in the region. In the initial phase, the collaboration focuses on 10 villages in Peso District as pilot areas, through the development of community training centers and assistance in sustainable natural resource management.

“These 10 villages are targeted to become rapidly growing, integrated areas that can serve as a model for other regencies to learn how to manage natural resources sustainably while improving community welfare,” said Bulungan Regent Syarwani, during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Cooperation Agreement between Pemkab Bulungan, the IPB University Farmers and Fishers Center, and YKAN in Jakarta, 19 November 2025.

The tripartite agreement covers collaboration in areas including natural resource and biodiversity management, the development of sustainable agriculture, plantations, and fisheries programs, the enhancement of local economic and cultural potential, institutional and human resource strengthening, as well as the documentation of best practices for local, national, and international scientific forums.

Syarwani explained that the agreement aligns with Bulungan’s Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD), which prioritizes sustainable development. He noted that the government already operates an ecological-based regency budget transfer program through two schemes: a 10% allocation via Village Funds and additional allocations from the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD) under the Bulungan Hijau concept.

"This is a competitive program. Last year, one of the villages that will now serve as a pilot in this collaboration secured up to 400 million Rupiah from the Bulungan APBD. This year, we allocated 7 billion Rupiah for Bulungan Hijau, and next year, we will increase it to 8 billion Rupiah," the Regent stated.

Head of the IPB University Farmers and Fishers Center, Hermanu Triwidodo, praised Pemkab Bulungan for collaborating with IPB University to develop Bulungan’s sustainable potential. He expressed hope that the partnership will lead to innovations and technologies tailored to each village’s unique challenges. “I am confident there will be many lessons to learn in Bulungan that can serve as shared knowledge,” he noted.

Meanwhile, YKAN’s Terrestrial Program Director, Ruslandi, stated that since 2022, YKAN has been supporting Bulungan using the SIGAP (Inspiring Community Action for Change) approach. Bulungan is one of the regencies in Kalimantan that still has a substantial forest area. Through SIGAP, communities are guided to initiate forest conservation efforts while improving their livelihoods.

In 2023, the Integrated Area Development (IAD) Kayan Landscape was established, becoming Indonesia’s ninth integrated social forestry-based regional development initiative. With IAD Kayan, communities can sustainably utilize forest areas to develop long-term commodities. “Of course, in assisting communities to manage the IAD Kayan Landscape, we cannot work alone. We need strategic partners like IPB University to ensure better outcomes and quality support,” said Ruslandi.

The MoU and Cooperation Agreement are valid for five years from the signing date, serving as a tangible commitment to realizing a sustainable Indonesia for future generations.