Build Corporate–Community Agreements
Challenge
The Indonesian government supports agriculture and forestry concession development. Concessions operating in Indonesia’s forest landscapes like Bentarum almost always have the legal right to operate. They bring much-valued infrastructure development and jobs but can reduce forest connectivity and do not always operate with the support of the people living in the landscapes.
Solution
Indonesia has several regional and national policies that regulate corporate behaviour. Each concession’s corresponding commodity is also usually covered by voluntary or mandatory rules that govern how concessions are developed. We prioritise supporting the implementation of these rules, advocating that development should be as sustainable as possible. Key to this is facilitating dialogue between community representatives and corporate companies.
This can lead to the development of Corporate Social Responsibility programmes that can have a tangible impact on villagers’ lives, and co-management agreements that can strengthen forest management.
Progress
We are facilitating engagement between corporate companies operating in Bentarum and representatives of villagers overlapping concession areas. Key priorities are ensuring that villagers understand the opportunities and potential risks of concession development, navigating how to integrate concessions into areas that are in the process of obtaining Hutan Adat, and identifying potential collaborative corporate–community agreements.