community management area mapped
Forest-Compatible Livelihoods and Community Enterprise, Land Rights, Mapping and Local Governance
Community Forest Management and Jernang-Based Livelihoods in Bukit Batabuh
Community mapping, forest-management support and jernang-based livelihood development with groups in Bukit Batabuh, Singingi.
Project overview
Project Overview
From October 2017 to March 2018, Hutanriau worked with KTH Bukik Ijau, KTH Sungai Manggis Sejahtera, and KPH Singingi to strengthen community-led forest management in Air Buluh Village. The project built on initiatives already developing around Bukik Ijau, jernang cultivation, regular forest presence, and community organisation.
The intervention combined participatory mapping, community-institution strengthening, non-timber forest product management, social forestry preparation, and practical field learning. Approximately 550 ha of the Bukik Ijau management area were mapped, while approximately 350 ha associated with Sungai Manggis Sejahtera were indicatively mapped. Jernang provided a practical link between maintaining forest vegetation and developing livelihood opportunities rooted in local knowledge and practice.
Project snapshot
At a glance
indicative community forest area identified
jernang cultivation area supported
participated in mapping and forest-enterprise activities
Why this work mattered
Project Context
Air Buluh is a forest-edge village in Kuantan Singingi, where communities have long drawn on jernang and other non-timber forest products as part of their relationship with the Bukit Batabuh landscape. Forest resources are connected to local livelihoods, while water flowing from the forest supports daily village needs.
Before the RRI-supported project began, community members had already organised KTH Bukik Ijau, developed jernang cultivation, undertaken forest patrols, prepared seedlings, and explored ways to maintain the forest while generating livelihood value. The project therefore strengthened an initiative already under way rather than introducing an external model.
Hutanriau worked from these local foundations, bringing together community organisation, spatial evidence, non-timber forest product management, social forestry preparation, and engagement with KPH Singingi. This approach positioned communities as the principal actors in shaping practical forest stewardship and enterprise options suited to local conditions.
What we set out to do
Objectives
To strengthen community-led stewardship of forest areas in Bukit Batabuh in response to pressure from oil-palm expansion and other forest threats, while advancing locally grounded livelihood opportunities.
- Develop spatial evidence for the management areas of Bukik Ijau and Sungai Manggis Sejahtera.
- Strengthen community institutions and engagement with relevant forest-management authorities.
- Support sustainable jernang management and identify additional non-timber forest product opportunities.
- Prepare and submit community documentation for the social forestry process.
- Promote practical learning and exchange on community forest management, jernang harvesting, and forest-based enterprises.
Delivery
What Hutanriau Did
- Facilitated participatory mapping of the Bukik Ijau management area and indicative mapping of the Sungai Manggis Sejahtera management area.
- Supported group discussions, community consolidation, and practical forest activities related to social forestry and community-based forest enterprises.
- Worked with Bukik Ijau on jernang cultivation, harvesting, regular patrols, and field-based management of its community area.
- Supported the establishment and organisation of KTH Sungai Manggis Sejahtera as an additional community platform for forest stewardship and non-timber forest product development.
- Facilitated preparation and submission of social forestry documentation and engagement with relevant institutions.
- Conducted participatory identification of additional non-timber forest products and explored community interest in other forest-based livelihood options.
- Facilitated the Dragon’s Blood Tracks Exploration on 15 to 17 March 2018, combining travel to the management area, field discussion, jernang harvesting, social forestry dialogue, and learning exchange.
What changed and what we learned
Results and Learning
The project connected spatial evidence, community organisation and practical forest management. Mapping helped Bukik Ijau and Sungai Manggis Sejahtera describe their management areas, while engagement with KPH Singingi linked local initiatives with the responsible forest-management institution.
Jernang provided a practical link between forest vegetation and livelihood options. The work also showed that expanding jernang-based enterprise depends on reliable market information, security arrangements and regular forest presence.
Community members contributed time, labour and local resources to mapping, meetings, seedling work and field activities. Difficult access during high river levels and theft of jernang fruit remained practical management challenges.
Project album
Field Documentation
Selected photographs documenting project activities, field implementation, and community participation.
Work with us
Planning locally grounded environmental work in Riau?
Hutanriau collaborates with communities, donors, government agencies, research institutions, civil society organisations, and responsible private-sector partners.