Matahari belum sepenuhnya membuka pagi. Langit Desa Gohong, Kabupaten Pulang Pisau, masih berwarna merah, daun-daun masih basah oleh sisa embun semalam. Namun, tim Lembaga Pengelola Hutan Desa (LPHD) dan KPSHK, sudah bersiap di dermaga Desa Gohong. Tim terdiri dari 12 orang. Setelah semua anggota tim sudah berada di ces. Ces adalah jenis perahu kecil sebutannya “ces, kelotok, ketinting” yang umum digunakan oleh masyarakat Dayak di Kalimantan, sebagai transportasi utama di daerah yang belum terjangkau jalan darat, ces menjadi moda transportasi kanal yang sangat penting untuk mobilitas masyarakat. Raungan mesinnya mulai memecah kesunyian pagi, menyusuri tepian Sungai Kahayan. Masing masing ces diisi empat orang, yang salah satunya sebagai pengemudi.
Kondisi Vegetasi di Sungai Kahayan. Sumber foto: KPSHK.
Setelah menempuh waktu 2 jam, tiga ces mulai memasuki area Hutan Desa Gohong melalui Handil Kalahawit dan Hantupa yang lebarnya dua-tiga meter dengan warna air kecoklatan. Air sungai yang surut membuat tim harus menempuh jalur darat sejauh lebih dari satu kilometer untuk mencapai pondok kerja LPHD. Jalur ini dirintis kembali agar memudahkan akses ke dalam kawasan hutan. Vegetasi gambut seperti belangeran, galam, dan paku-pakuan masih mendominasi, menunjukkan karakter khas ekosistem hutan rawa gambut.
Setibanya di Pondok Kerja LPHD, terlihat berbagai jejak upaya pengelolaan hutan yang telah dilakukan dalam kurun waktu lebih dari satu dekade. Sekitar ±2.500 batang pohon belangeran hasil dari program Kebun Bibit Rakyat (KBR) tahun 2011 masih tumbuh. Sebuah 25 unit embung dengan ukuran rata-rata 2 × 20 meter dan kedalaman 2 meter. Sementara itu, intervensi restorasi gambut melalui program BRG pada tahun 2017 juga masih meninggalkan infrastruktur penting, seperti 46 unit sumur bor di luar kawasan, serta sekitar 15 sekat kanal yang dirancang untuk menahan aliran air. Namun, sebagian besar sekat kanal kini sudah tidak berfungsi optimal.
Jejak-jejak tersebut menjadi penanda kesinambungan upaya pengelolaan hutan produksi dan restorasi gambut yang terus diadaptasi hingga saat ini. Walau sebagian infrastruktur mengalami kerusakan, ekosistem hutan tetap aktif menopang kehidupan terlihat dari jalur satwa seperti rusa dan babi hutan, serta suara burung yang terdengar di kejauhan.
Tim melakukan perintisan jalur menuju Hutan Desa (HD). Sumber foto: KPSHK.
Dalam perjalanan pulang, tim menyempatkan diri meninjau lokasi pembibitan milik LPHD Gohong. Areal seluas sekitar sepuluh hektare kini dikelola untuk pengembangan tanaman produktif seperti nanas, petai, karet, pisang, dan singkong. Upaya ini menjadi salah satu bentuk nyata pemanfaatan hutan desa untuk kesejahteraan masyarakat sekaligus menjaga kelestarian ekosistem.
Kegiatan monitoring hari itu menegaskan kembali bahwa Hutan Desa Gohong bukan hanya ruang hijau di peta, melainkan kawasan yang terus dijaga melalui kerja bersama masyarakat dan mitra pendukungnya. Perintisan jalur, peninjauan kembali infrastruktur, dan penguatan pembibitan adalah langkah nyata memastikan hutan tetap memberi manfaat ekologi sekaligus ekonomi.
“Di hutan ini, kita bukan hanya menjaga pohon. Kita sedang menjaga masa depan,” ujar Bayu Saputro, GIS Manager KPSHK, menutup kegiatan.
Perjalanan pulang, tim meninjau lokasi pembibitan milik LPHD Gohong. Areal seluas sekitar sepuluh hektare kini dikelola untuk pengembangan tanaman produktif seperti nanas, petai, karet, pisang, dan singkong. Upaya ini menjadi salah satu bentuk nyata pemanfaatan hutan desa untuk kesejahteraan masyarakat sekaligus menjaga kelestarian ekosistem.
Hari itu menegaskan kembali bahwa Hutan Desa Gohong bukan hanya ruang hijau di peta, melainkan kawasan yang terus dijaga melalui kerja bersama masyarakat dan mitra pendukungnya.
“Di hutan ini, kita bukan hanya menjaga pohon. Kita sedang menjaga masa depan,” ujar Bayu Saputro, GIS Manager KPSHK, menutup kegiatan.
Penulis: Alma
Editor: JW
The sun had not yet fully risen in the morning. The sky in Gohong Village, Pulang Pisau Regency, was still red, the leaves still damp with the remnants of last night’s dew. However, the Village Forest Management Institution (LPHD) and KPSHK team were already ready at the Gohong Village pier. The team consisted of 12 people. After all team members were in the ces. Ces are a type of small boat called “ces, kelotok, ketinting” commonly used by the Dayak people in Kalimantan, as the main transportation in areas not yet accessible by land, ces are a very important mode of canal transportation for community mobility. The roar of their engines began to break the morning silence, tracing the banks of the Kahayan River. Each ces was filled with four people, one of whom was the driver.
Vegetation conditions in the Kahayan River. Photo source: KPSHK.
After a two-hour journey, the three teams entered the Gohong Village Forest area through Handil Kalahawit and Hantupa, which were two to three meters wide and had brownish water. The receding river water forced the team to travel overland for over a kilometer to reach the LPHD work camp. This trail was re-established to facilitate access into the forest area. Peat vegetation such as belangeran, galam, and ferns still dominated, demonstrating the distinctive character of the peat swamp forest ecosystem.
Upon arrival at the LPHD Work Camp, various traces of forest management efforts that have been carried out over a decade were visible. Approximately 2,500 belangeran trees, planted by the Community Seed Garden (KBR) program in 2011, were still growing. Twenty-five reservoirs, with an average size of 2 x 20 meters and a depth of 2 meters, were also present. Meanwhile, the peatland restoration intervention through the BRG program in 2017 also left behind critical infrastructure, such as 46 boreholes outside the area and approximately 15 canal blocks designed to retain water flow. However, most of the canal blocks are no longer functioning optimally.
These traces mark the continuity of production forest management and peatland restoration efforts, which continue to be adapted to this day. Although some infrastructure has been damaged, the forest ecosystem remains active, supporting life, as evidenced by the paths of animals such as deer and wild boar, and the distant sounds of birds.
The team is pioneering a route to the Village Forest (HD). Photo source: KPSHK.
On the way home, the team took the opportunity to inspect the Gohong Village Forestry Institution’s (LPHD) nursery. An area of ​​approximately ten hectares is now managed to cultivate productive crops such as pineapple, petai, rubber, banana, and cassava. This effort represents a concrete example of utilizing the village forest for community well-being while preserving the ecosystem.
The day’s monitoring activities reaffirmed that the Gohong Village Forest is not just a green space on a map, but an area that is continuously protected through collaborative work with the community and its supporting partners. Trail paving, infrastructure review, and nursery strengthening are concrete steps to ensure the forest continues to provide both ecological and economic benefits.
“In this forest, we’re not just protecting the trees. We’re protecting the future,” said Bayu Saputro, GIS Manager of KPSHK, concluding the activity.
On the way home, the team inspected the Gohong Village Forestry Institution’s (LPHD) nursery. An area of ​​approximately ten hectares is now managed to cultivate productive crops such as pineapple, petai, rubber, banana, and cassava. This effort represents a concrete example of utilizing the village forest for community well-being while preserving the ecosystem.
The day reaffirmed that Gohong Village Forest is not just a green space on a map, but an area that is continuously protected through collaborative work with the community and its supporting partners.
“In this forest, we are not just protecting the trees. We are protecting the future,” said Bayu Saputro, GIS Manager of KPSHK, closing the event.
Writer: Alma
Editor: JW
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