Five Villages Have Spatial-Based Land Use Maps

Spatial and regional planning plans are now not limited to local regulations issued by local governments. However, it has started from the smallest government unit, namely the village. One of them is in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, now there are five villages that are finalizing the Land Use Plan (RTGL) at the end of 2020. The five villages are located in the upstream area of the Lesan River Basin, namely Merapun, Panaan, Muara Lesan, Lesan Dayak and Sidobangen, which now has an RTGL prepared in a participatory manner.

“The preparation of the RTGL made us know our village better, so that our thinking was broader and advanced. We will take full advantage of the village's assets to make it more beneficial for the villagers," said Daring, the Head of Merapun Village on the sidelines of a community meeting, at the end of November 2020. The RTGL process not only succeeded in revealing the use of land as a livelihood asset for the residents, but also revealed dozens of new village tourism potentials. which will be the mainstay of building the economy.

The existence of RTGL is important, because it restores the mandate of Law No. 6 of 2014 concerning Villages, that the determination of policies at the village level will take precedence so that residents have the authority to design and implement their living spaces. Residents learn to arrange scientific-based development with the facilitation of SIGAP Prosperous Fighters, Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN), and Indonesian Sustainable Landscape Permaculture (PLANB). The land use plan is made using geospatial information technology as the main tool. The purpose of this mapping is for residents to know their potential and assets, so that the direction of development can be in line with the balance of nature in the long term and provide broad benefits for the welfare of the community that relies on strengths from within the village.

Residents and village officials received training on the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) supporting devices and the MapSource application and Garmin Basecamp. All uploaded data has been successfully analyzed by the PLANB team using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and remote sensing.

The training and practice of land use measurement is carried out in parallel for one week per village. The SIGAP Fighter Coordinator in Kelay District and village facilitators (Faskam) coordinate the mapping program plan with the village head. Faskam then formed a village mapping team consisting of government officials, community leaders, representatives of land users, and village women, both mothers and the youth.

Villagers enthusiastically participated in the village asset mapping training and were actively involved in participatory discussions at the village hall. The discussion process continued to the district level by bringing together the district government, the West Berau Production Forest Management Unit and development partners. This step was taken as a joint effort to strengthen village resource management.

At the final meeting, an RTGL workshop was held on November 25, 2020 as a platform to share aspirations and dreams for village change with relevant agencies at the district level. The village government and related offices in the district became connected and open to the existing RTGL exposure. Residents received positive support for the mapping that prompted the development planning.

The biggest achievement of this RTGL process is the sense of brotherhood that arises between neighboring villages. After decades of being a village without a territory, finally through the RTGL process, the residents of Kampung Panaan opened their hands to welcome their neighbors, the residents of Kampug Mapulu, to get a new living area, which was worthy of the results of the joint mapping of the area. “I am really touched, through RTGL activities, I and the residents agreed to contribute to Mapulu Village so that they can have their own village use. In the future, the two villages will collaborate for tourism and the livelihoods of other residents," said Samsuri, Head of Panaan Village, at a meeting in the district at the end of November 2020.

The involvement of all components of the community creates a relationship capital between the village and other parties outside Lampung. Resource management needs to consider aspects of regional linkages between villages and cities. Strong relational capital will link natural resources, the private sector, human resources, and village social capital into innovation-rich development.

"A new approach is needed to touch the positive emotions of the residents, so that community participation in village development is not only a means of a rational planning process, but also an opportunity to gain deep meaning for the residents' self and social identity to make changes from the village," said Fakhrizal Nashr, an expert planner. the PLANB Village area. The positive atmosphere that has been built between the six villages has become the seed that brings hope for new changes to welcome 2021 with more optimism.

"We believe that community participation in village planning will accelerate the achievement of village development targets," said the Manager of Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara for Berau Regency Gunawan Wibisono. The land use plan model like in Kelay District is the initial capital for the village to develop a village that is in harmony with local wisdom, potential and assets, as well as its natural wealth.