The recent history of Indonesian forest policies have been dominated by deforestation in the name of economic progress, with many stakeholders concerned about approaching this trend in a sustainable manner.  From 2004–2017, non-governmental environmental organisations fought for the case of the coastal Tripa peat swamp rainforest in the province of Aceh, Sumatra. Unique to Indonesian history, they managed halting and reversing the deforestation of an area and their sustained action led the Indonesia state to cancel an oil palm plantation permit, with the plantation managers and owners facing heavy fines and prison terms. The research paper sought to understand the enabling factors for this success story by using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to deal with a complicated policymaking ecosystem whose decisions takes years for implementation. The research paper concludes on the note that the overall trend of rainforest destruction for agricultural extension in Southeast Asia, particularly in Sumatra, Indonesia, can be reversed, at least at the local level. At the same time, it cautions one to not to overgeneralise, the Tripa case, and that NGOs could improve forest governance by engaging in the long term, acting strategically, and building a broad socio-ecological and rights-based coalition.

Read the full research paper here.

Note: Banner image sourced from https://whc.unesco.org/en/soc/230