hectares documented through detailed participatory mapping
Community-managed land documented during the project period.
Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Enterprise
Community Forest Management and Jernang in Air Buluh
Community forest management in Air Buluh linked participatory mapping, forest farmer groups, and jernang development to strengthen livelihoods and incentives for keeping Bukit Betabuh forest standing.
Project overview
Project Overview
From 2017 to 2019, Hutanriau supported community groups in Air Buluh and the Bukit Betabuh landscape to connect community land management, non-timber forest products, and forest protection. The work combined group strengthening, participatory mapping, jernang development, and discussion of legal forest access.
Documented reach
At a glance
hectares documented through indicative mapping
Additional community-managed land documented at indicative level.
hectares used for jernang cultivation
Historical figure from the documented implementation period.
Documented Outputs
• Approximately 550 hectares documented through detailed mapping.
• A further 350 hectares documented through indicative mapping.
• Around 30 hectares used for jernang cultivation during the documented period.
• Sungai Manggis Sejahtera formed with 27 members during the documented period.
• Experience in Air Buluh developed into six forest farmer groups with approximately 200 historical members by the period recorded in the Kayu Jalur report.
Why this work mattered
Project Context
Air Buluh Village is located within the Bukit Betabuh landscape in Kuantan Singingi, where community livelihoods and land management are closely connected to forest resources. Between 2017 and 2019, Hutanriau supported overlapping initiatives that combined community organising, participatory mapping, discussion of legal forest access, and the development of jernang as a non-timber forest product compatible with maintaining forest cover.
What we set out to do
Objectives
• Strengthen community groups involved in forest and non-timber forest product management.
• Document community-managed areas and support discussion of legal access and Social Forestry.
• Develop jernang as a livelihood option compatible with maintaining forest cover.
Delivery
What Hutanriau Did
• Facilitated participatory and indicative mapping of community-managed areas.
• Supported forest farmer groups and jernang cultivation.
• Facilitated discussions on legal access and Social Forestry.
• Documented implementation experience and lessons.
Results and learning
Early Outcomes
Jernang provided a practical entry point for connecting non-timber forest products with forest protection because it grows beneath relatively intact forest cover. The initiatives show how livelihood value can strengthen community interest in maintaining forest conditions. These are documented outputs and strategic lessons, not proof that all forest threats were eliminated or that Hutanriau directly managed the supported land.
Evidence notes
Limits of the Evidence
The approximately 900 hectares associated with the initiatives represents overlapping community-managed areas supported through different activities and must not be treated as separate or additional land impacts. The mapped areas were managed by communities, not directly by Hutanriau. The 30-hectare jernang figure and group membership figures are historical records from the documented period. The available evidence does not verify increased household income, permanent employment, or long-term ecological improvement.
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.