Program
Protecting Indonesia’s Forests and Communities
Indonesia’s forests are critical to the national economy and rural households, and we help local communities protect forests, strengthen land rights, and build sustainable livelihoods.
Indonesia’s forests are essential for biodiversity conservation, healthy ecosystems, and the livelihoods of millions of rural households. Yet many forest-dependent communities lack secure rights, economic opportunities, and governance systems that enable them to protect forests while sustaining their livelihoods.
The SETAPAK environmental governance program strengthens forest and land governance by working with government agencies, civil society organizations, and forest-dependent communities to reduce deforestation, improve land-use transparency, and expand community forest management. Active for more than a decade, and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development office, SETAPAK pairs political economy analysis with community action, bringing local officials, customary leaders, advocacy groups, and community organizations into shared reform efforts.
Impact
SETAPAK has helped advance more than 50 national and subnational policies, improving forest and land governance, strengthening transparency, community participation and sustainable land use management across multiple provinces.
More than 4.5 million hectares of forest gained legal protection, strengthening recognition of customary land rights and community stewardship.
Hundreds of thousands of hectares approved for social forestry, enabling communities to manage forests legally and build sustainable livelihoods.
Eighty-nine social forestry groups and 105 community forest enterprises gained support to move toward sustainable, locally managed forest livelihoods.
Eleven landscape restoration initiatives, including wildlife corridors, helped restore fragmented habitats and support biodiversity recovery.
More than 8,000 hectares were rehabilitated through civil society monitoring, community action, and collaborative land-use governance.
Environmental fiscal transfer mechanisms unlocked more than USD 30 million for provinces and districts to reward environmental performance.
APPROACH
SETAPAK is distinctive for pairing political economy analysis with community-level action. TAF convenes actors rarely in the same room, such as local officials, customary leaders, and advocacy groups, to encourage policy reform in the land and forest sector. The program integrates women’s leadership, social forestry, and non-timber forest enterprises, ensuring that conservation delivers economic benefits. Its adaptive design allows rapid shifts as political contexts evolve, while long-term local partnerships protect reformers and sustain progress beyond program cycles.