Agung Wahyu Nugroho

Grand Forest Park (GFP) is a conservation area designated for biodiversity preservation and native and non-native fauna collections. Comprehensive data on vegetation diversity is crucial for scientific knowledge and effective conservation management. This study analysed tree species diversity and community structure in two locations: the GFP Mangkunagoro I Conservation Block and the BKPH Lawu Utara Natural Forest in Karanganyar, Central Java. Vegetation analysis was performed across four growth stages: seedlings, saplings, poles, and trees. The results revealed that the GFP Conservation Block hosts 42 tree species from 34 families. In this area, Helicia robusta (locally known as Cebongan) dominated the seedling (IVI 174.60) and sapling (IVI 73.79) stages, while Quercus sp. (Pasang) dominated the pole stage (IVI 36.23), and Oenanthe javanica was most prominent in the tree stage (IVI 60.29). Conversely, the BKPH Lawu Utara Natural Forest recorded 24 tree species from 23 families. Dominance in this area was characterised by Helicia robusta in the seedling stage (IVI 41.26), but transitioned to Quercus sp., which dominated the sapling (IVI 52.93), pole (IVI 42.91), and tree stages (IVI 115.80). These findings illustrated distinct patterns of species dominance and composition between the conservation block and natural forest, providing essential baseline data for forest management in the Lawu region.

Eco‐friendly agriculture is needed for degraded peatland rehabilitation purposes while also meeting community needs to reduce pressure on the land. The selection of plant species must meet the criteria for these two purposes. Moringa oleifera has been identified as capable of growing on marginal lands such as degraded peatland. This research aims to examine the impact of ameliorants and manure compost on the growth of M. oleifera cultivated in degraded peatlands. The study employed a split‐plot design, with ameliorants as the primary factor (A1 = dolomite; A2 = oil palm empty fruit bunch ash [OPEFBA]), and manure compost as the secondary factor (F1 = goat manure; F2 = chicken manure; F3 = no manure addition). The results indicated a significant interaction between ameliorants and manure compost in influencing plant height, base diameter, and branch diameter, at 4 months after planting (MAP). The combination of dolomite and chicken manure compost was found to be the most effective in promoting the growth of moringa in peatlands for height, base diameter, branch diameter, and number of leaf branches. On average, the total of nutrient contents was observed in the A1F2 treatment. Moringa shows great potential for development on degraded peatlands, serving both land rehabilitation goals and addressing the community’s nutritional food requirements.

Indonesian watershed management continues to struggle with various problems caused by natural disasters, particularly hydrometeorological disasters, which are worsened by the effects of climate change. Coordinating and synchronizing the interest of many parties in watershed management with various scenarios of natural conditions is a big challenge in the creation of a healthy and productive watershed. Multiple initiatives have been undertaken, from establishing rules and policies to implementing them and assessing the effects, leading to various lessons being learned for better management. This article presents a study on watershed management in Indonesia and recommends alternative improvements toward healthy and productive watershed management. A combination of a descriptive qualitative analysis of the authors’ experience in various research activities and a critical analysis is used to examine existing conditions and to formulate recommendations for better sustainable management toward a healthy and productive watershed. Most Indonesian watersheds are susceptible to degradation due to numerous threats. The challenges in Indonesian watershed management, including land degradation and climate-induced disasters, lack of synchronization and coordination, limited resources, and anthropogenic factors, have led to decreased watershed health and productivity and hindered effective management. Integrated management, especially at the micro-watershed level, addresses these challenges. Successful integrated watershed management requires community involvement, appropriate management action for specific locations, technological support, regulatory alignment, and stakeholder collaboration to ensure a healthy, productive, and sustainable watershed for present and future generations.

Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world, with 17,000 islands of varying sizes and elevations, from lowlands to very high mountains, stretching more than 5000 km eastward from Sabang in Aceh to Merauke in Papua. Although occupying only 1.3% of the world’s land area, Indonesia possesses the third-largest rainforest and the second-highest level of biodiversity, with very high species diversity and endemism. However, during the last two decades, Indonesia has been known as a country with a high level of deforestation, a producer of smoke from burning forests and land, and a producer of carbon emissions. The aim of this paper is to review the environmental history and the long process of Indonesian forest management towards achieving environmental sustainability and community welfare. To do this, we analyze the milestones of Indonesian forest management history, present and future challenges, and provide strategic recommendations toward a viable Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) system. Our review showed that the history of forestry management in Indonesia has evolved through a long process, especially related to contestation over the control of natural resources and supporting policies and regulations. During the process, many efforts have been applied to reduce the deforestation rate, such as a moratorium on permitting primary natural forest and peat land, land rehabilitation and soil conservation, environmental protection, and other significant regulations. Therefore, these efforts should be maintained and improved continuously in the future due to their significant positive impacts on a variety of forest areas toward the achievement of viable SFM. Finally, we conclude that the Indonesian government has struggled to formulate sustainable forest management policies that balance economic, ecological, and social needs, among others, through developing and implementing social forestry instruments, developing and implementing human resource capacity, increasing community literacy, strengthening forest governance by eliminating ambiguity and overlapping regulations, simplification of bureaucracy, revitalization of traditional wisdom, and fair law enforcement.

Climate change is a major challenge for Indonesia due to its impact on food, water, energy sustainability, and environmental health. Almost all Indonesian regions are exposed to floods, landslides, soil erosion, drought, and heavy rains. In response to these challenges, the Government of Indonesia has determined integrated watershed management (IWM) to be one of the key programs to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as stated in the updated Indonesian nationally determined contribution (NDC). This paper intends to review Indonesia′s efforts in mitigating and adapting to climate change through an IWM approach, and its attempts to realize a decent life and environment for all communities. Improvement of the IWM can be conducted by strengthening the synergy between the responsible institutions for watershed management and the responsible institutions for handling mitigation and adaptation of climate change impacts. In addition, it is important to prioritize coordination, participation, and collaboration not only at the national government level but also at the international level, since numerous problems may exist in the transboundary between countries, and finding solutions should involve planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Implementing the micro watershed model (MWM), supported by culture, local wisdom, and traditional knowledge in communities, can be used to improve the current IWM.

Indonesia is an archipelago with significant variations in natural resources, infrastructure, socioeconomic, culture, human resource capacity, accessibility, and access to financial and technical assistance. In this situation, integrated and unique efforts are needed to manage natural resources and build synergy between their protection and utilization to achieve water, energy, and food (WEF) security in accordance with the SDG targets. This paper analyzes the implementations of the WEF nexus in rural Indonesia by examining existing legal frameworks and other related policies, journals, textbooks, and publications. We explore factors influencing the success and failure of the implementation of the WEF nexus approaches from technical, socioeconomic, cultural, political, and institutional perspectives of the rural development framework.