The Concept of Sustainable Development in Indonesian’s Forest Law (Case Study: Tesso Nilo’s National Park in Pelalawan Regency, Riau Province, Indonesia)

Abstract

Tesso Nilo National Park has a forest area approximately 153 000 hectares located in the 4^th district in Riau Province, Indonesia. The park is one of eight blocks of natural forests at Pelalawan Regency in Riau Province. With its rich resources, it provides benefits for the economic development of the people and community. While the mobility of people from the other side, interests of forestry potential is so high, resulting in the emergence of bad things to the preservation of forests and the environment of the forest resource itself. In line with rapid population growth and increasing demand for wood, plantations and agricultural land expansion, and excessive timber industry practices coupled with the level of exploitation of forest resources on a large scale, through large scale cultivation without any effort adequate conservation and rehabilitation, as well as policy issues that are less supportive of forest conservation and forest law enforcement failures increased the level of deforestation or forest loss. The study used survey research involving observation. Population sampling was done by purposive sampling or selection of a deliberate consideration of respondents where actors consisting of three different stakeholder groups on the basis of formal and informal institutions. The group was the Government, Society, and other groups that were not incorporated in the two previous groups. The factors that specifically affected the implementation of Forest law are as follows: unfinished boundaries, lack of quality and quantity of personnel, existence of tenure and encroachment, inconsistent land use designation, existence of settlements in the region, uncontrolled logging or timber theft, fire hazard, overlapping with plantation, weak oversight of the access road around region, and lack of coordination among relevant agencies. Governments need to improve the coordination system to each relevant agency to carry out protection and conservation of the Tesso Nillo forest areas as well as enforcing in the law against any encroachment and violations under the legislation.