With more than 120 million hectares of officially designated forest area, Indonesia is home to the world’s third-largest expanse of tropical rainforest. These forests play a vital role in supporting the lives of more than 280 million people by providing much-needed resources and delivering essential ecosystem services.
To preserve these resources while improving community welfare, the Government of Indonesia, over the past decade, has developed the Social Forestry initiative. This initiative aims to enhance livelihoods for forest-dependent communities while ensuring sustainable forest management by expanding equitable access to forest and land resources.
Aligned with this commitment, the World Bank with financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) supported the Strengthening of Social Forestry in Indonesia Project (SSF), from 2021 to 2025, across six districts/cities in four provinces: Limapuluh Kota (West Sumatra); South Lampung (Lampung); Dompu, Bima, and Bima City (West Nusa Tenggara); and West Halmahera (North Maluku). By facilitating communities secure Social Forestry permits – rights to access and use forest resources, SSF expanded access to more than 364,000 hectares and supported almost 203,500 beneficiaries, 42 percent of whom are women.
From job creation to empowering women’s roles in society, the successful implementation of SSF demonstrates that local communities can manage forests effectively for their livelihoods and environmental preservation, provided they are equipped with knowledge, trust, and legal access.
Forest for the Future: Job Creation, Women Empowerment, and Environmental Sustainability
Todowongi, North Maluku Province
Todowongi Village (West Halmahera) has abundant rattan, but it had long generated little income because residents lacked tools and skills, while furniture-making by hand was slow.
In 2021, SSF supported Social Forestry Business Groups (KUPS) Esa Moi built a rattan workshop that is equipped with machinery, making production three times faster. The group grew from four to 15 members – creating jobs for women and youth, and strengthen household incomes. SSF also enabled value addition beyond rattan, supported women-led KUPS Singina Moi process red ginger into powder, raising the value from around USD4.5 to USD24 per kilogram.
Todowongi shows how legal access and practical support can turn non-timber forest products into local jobs and women-led businesses—making standing forests economically valuable. Watch video here: Forests for the Future: Harmony between Forests and Communities in Strengthening Social Forestry in Indonesia
Stories from Across the Archipelago
Bandar Agung, Lampung Province
In Bandar Agung Village, South Lampung, mangroves that once extended up to a kilometer into the sea, have been steadily eroded by rising sea levels and unsustainable aquaculture practices. This combination severely worsened living conditions in the village and even forced some families to leave.
The turning point in Dede Supriyadi’s life as a fisherman came in 2021, when he and local residents formed KUPS Bunut Selatan to restore mangrove and build a new, nature-based economy, supported by an SSF grant. SSF helped establish a mangrove nursery, build water infrastructure and an initial supply of mangrove seedlings for local fishermen.
Today, thousands of mangrove seedlings are cultivated and produced by the KUPS each year, creating new jobs for fishermen’s families and providing an additional income stream during the East Wind season when fishing is limited.
READ MORE: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2026/06/04/social-forestry-in-indonesia-empowering-communities-creating-jobs-and-protecting-forests
