Discretion and Interpretation of Indonesia Social Forestry by Local Forest Bureaucrats: Evidence from Yogyakarta Special Region Province

Abstract

Social forestry policies can be effectively implemented if lower forestry bureaucrats can translate these policies on an operational scale. In the Street Level Bureaucracy theory, the discretion of front-line bureaucrats also colors the course of public policy implementation. This study aims to explore the discretion and interpretation of Indonesia social forestry policies by local forestry bureaucrats. This research uses a documentary study, using policy documents issued by the Provincial Government of Yogyakarta and interview materials of 14 source persons from the local forestry bureaucrats and forest farmer group collected by Lutviah (2019). The results show some policy instruments regulate the mechanism and profit-sharing of social forestry management. The discretion prove the local forestry bureaucrats prefer forestry partnership cooperation schemes to the licensing schemes (i.e., community forestry or Hutan Kemasyarakatn). Ecotourism environmental services are also preferred to the timber forest products due to the complexity and complicated procedures for timber harvesting. This study indicates that there is a creative discretion of local forestry bureaucrats in implementing Indonesia social forestry with the motive of obtaining local revenue from social forestry schemes, but some policy recommendation should be improved by the central government to accelerate the adoption of social forestry nationally.