WRITER : LILIAN KOMALING, S.HUT, M.Si (Kepala Seksi Wilayah I, Balai Perhutanan Sosial Ambon)
The Social Forestry Program is one of the Ministry of Forestry’s strategic policies, aimed at providing legal access for communities to manage forest areas sustainably.
Through this policy, communities are granted management rights under various schemes — Village Forest (Hutan Desa), Community Forest (Hutan Kemasyarakatan), People’s Plantation Forest (Hutan Tanaman Rakyat), Customary Forest (Hutan Adat), and Forestry Partnerships (Kemitraan Kehutanan).
In Maluku Province, implementation of this program has taken place from 2016 to 2024, resulting in 171 decrees, granting access to 241,040.96 hectares of forest area, and involving 33,424 households.
The Social Forestry Program has been actively implemented by the Balai Perhutanan Sosial dan Kemitraan Lingkungan (BPSKL) for the Maluku–Papua region, which, in 2025, transitioned to become the Balai Perhutanan Sosial Ambon.
Since then, communities in Maluku have obtained ministerial decrees from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry as the legal foundation for forest management. Through continuous facilitation, communities have successfully developed non-timber forest products (NTFPs) — especially nutmeg and damar resin — as regional flagship commodities.
The success of community forest management in Maluku is reflected in the rising productivity and growing partnerships between Village Forest Management Institutions (LPHD), Forest Farmer Groups (KTH), Customary Law Communities (MHA), and private sector partners.
In September 2025, these collaborations reached a major milestone with the first export shipment of damar copal resin to India and nutmeg seeds to China.
Domestic trade of damar copal originating from Social Forestry areas in 2025 (up to Q3) reached a total transaction value of IDR 10,341,636,390, generated by seven Social Forestry groups (KTH Tawena Siwa, KTH Rambatu, KTH Wasiliane, KTH Solohua, KTH Sorebang, LPHD Waspait, and LPHD Rambatu) through formal cooperation agreements with private partners.
This achievement provides tangible proof that Social Forestry communities in Maluku can compete in global markets through sustainable natural resource management.
The Role of Maluku Women in Social Forestry
Behind these achievements lies the significant contribution of Maluku women, who actively participate in every stage of social forestry activities. Women are not only supporters but also direct participants in collecting, sorting, and packing nutmeg seeds and flowers. In damar processing, women are the frontline workers — breaking raw damar, sorting by grade, and packing the product for shipment to buyers.
Their involvement in the NTFP value chain has brought direct economic benefits to forest-edge households. Through this work, women gain additional income that helps support their families and strengthens their social and economic roles in their communities.
One such story is from Mrs. Talha Difinubun, who has supported her family for about four years as a damar breaker and packer.
“I’ve been able to send my child to school — from elementary to junior high — and now they even help me break damar. When stock is plenty, I earn about IDR 75,000 per day, with a rate of IDR 2,000 per kilogram. We’re happy when the group harvests more damar — that means more income for us,” she said.
Nina, a 15-year-old high school student from Kelapa Dua Village, has spent the past two years as a damar breaker:
“If I have schoolwork, I don’t come. But if not, I work and earn around IDR 25,000 per day. I can bring my younger sibling with me, so I can work and watch over them while my parents are farming.”
A businessman known since 2022 as “Mr. Chen”, a damar buyer in West Seram Regency, provides a warehouse for up to 60 women workers, equipped with baby swings, a children’s play area, restrooms, and snacks and drinks — enabling a safe and inclusive workspace for women.
As a result, NTFPs from social forestry groups have directly created jobs for women, both from the Social Forestry groups and from nearby forest communities.
Women’s Influence on Environmental Conservation
Beyond economic contributions, women play an essential role in environmental preservation. With their emotional connection and local wisdom, they act as key agents for sustaining forests, promoting conservation values, and preventing encroachment and illegal logging.
They often remind their families and neighbors to protect damar forests —
“We need damar trees for our work; their resin provides income and helps pay our children’s school fees.”
These women understand that forest conservation — particularly damar-producing forests — is synonymous with the continuity of life for their families and future generations.
Social and Economic Impacts
Women’s involvement in social forestry has produced dual impacts — economic and social. Economically, it expands employment opportunities and enhances household welfare through NTFP processing.
Income from sorting and processing forest products enables women to become financially independent, boosts their confidence, and encourages participation in village-level development.
Partner organizations such as PT Sinar Hijau Ventura (SHV) and the Econusa Foundation, through its enterprise unit Kobumi, have signed cooperation agreements with 11 Social Forestry groups in West Seram Regency and Ambon City. These partnerships also provide opportunities for women to earn additional income as nutmeg and mace sorters, before packaging and shipment.
Women workers receive training on nutmeg and mace quality grading, with the following categories:
| Grade | Category |
|---|---|
| AB | Excellent |
| ABCD | Good but smaller size |
| SS | Good but wrinkled |
| BWP | Below standard (moldy, broken, insect holes) |
The average daily wage for sorting workers is IDR 75,000, with an additional bonus of IDR 25,000 if they meet individual targets.
Sarah, a recent high school graduate, shared:
“This job keeps me from feeling hopeless while waiting to continue my studies. I can help my parents and save for college in Ambon.”
She earns IDR 1,500,000–2,600,000 per month. The SHV warehouse in Piru, West Seram Regency, accommodates 30 women workers, while the Kobumi warehouse in Kate-Kate, Ambon City, employs 45 women workers in various roles.
Socially, these activities create jobs, strengthen community solidarity, and elevate women’s recognition in forestry development. Once limited to domestic roles, women are now emerging as key actors in productive social forestry activities.
In many cases, women also lead Social Forestry Business Groups (KUPS), managing administration and ensuring product quality. Over 20 KUPS in Maluku Province are now formed and led by women.
Additionally, the Ambon Social Forestry Office strengthens women’s capacity through technical, business management, and product-quality training. A collaboration between this office and the Ambon Vocational and Productivity Training Center (Ministry of Manpower), signed in September, focuses on building women’s capacity to process NTFPs into higher-value derivative products.
Thus, women’s participation not only boosts productivity but also fosters social justice and gender equality at the grassroots level.
Sustainable Forests, Empowered Women
The implementation of the Social Forestry Program in Maluku Province demonstrates that community-based forest management can become a sustainable source of prosperity.
The success of NTFP exports and inter-island trade — particularly damar and nutmeg — stands as concrete evidence of the community’s transformation into resilient social forestry entrepreneurs.
Above all, these achievements are inseparable from the dedication and commitment of women, who have proven to be both beneficiaries and guardians of the natural resources that sustain their communities.
They are symbols of perseverance, independence, and sustainability — inspiring greater empowerment of women in the forestry sector.
As opportunities continue to expand for women’s participation in social forestry, the hope is for empowered, self-reliant, and prosperous forest communities — and forests managed sustainably.
As the wise local Maluku proverb says:
“The forest is the mother of life — if cared for with love, it will give unending sustenance.”
Source: PERHUTANAN SOSIAL DAN PEREMPUAN MALUKU, “MENYEMAI KEMANDIRIAN DARI HUTAN” – LaskarMaluku.com
