PEKANBARU — The Riau Civil Society Organization (CSO) Coalition, together with the Yayasan Mitra Insani , gathered public input to strengthen the Draft Regional Regulation (Ranperda) on Social Forestry in Riau Province during a workshop held at Hotel Pangeran, Pekanbaru, on Monday (June 29, 2026). The forum—which involved the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), local government, academics, and the media—emphasized the need to accelerate the regulatory process amidst the significant challenges still facing forest management in Riau.
This call to action arose because, although Riau has secured 214 Social Forestry Decrees covering an area of 201,880.42 hectares, implementation at the community level is considered suboptimal.
From the opening session, participants highlighted perennial issues that continue to overshadow forest area management, ranging from tenure conflicts, the threat of forest and land fires, and peat ecosystem degradation, to limited access to financing and markets for social forestry groups.
The event facilitator, Jhonny S. Mundung, emphasized that the Regional Regulation must address the real problems faced by forest management communities.
“The Regional Regulation must address the needs of communities on the ground and strengthen equitable social forestry governance,” he told the participants.
The workshop, organized by the Yayasan Mitra Insani, also featured a presentation by Fitra Riau on sustainable social forestry governance that integrates the Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) approach. Meanwhile, the Riau Environment and Forestry Agency (DLHK) mapped the challenges and opportunities for future social forestry development.
Participants assessed that the GEDSI approach should no longer be merely a supplement to policy but should become the primary foundation to ensure women, people with disabilities, indigenous communities, and vulnerable groups have equal access to decision-making and the utilization of forest products.
In addition to discussing the substance of the regulation, the forum also highlighted the importance of strengthening social forestry group institutions, providing financial support, downstreaming non-timber forest products, and sustainable environmental protection.
The Speaker of the Riau Provincial DPRD, Commission II of the DPRD, the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bapemperda), and relevant regional officials are scheduled to follow up on various recommendations resulting from the meeting. The results of the discussions will be formulated into an official document to be used to refine the Draft Regional Regulation on Social Forestry.
Through this regulation, stakeholders hope that the regional government will not only strengthen the legal aspects but also pave the way for improving the welfare of communities surrounding forests while preserving Riau’s ecosystem.
