Hamparan gambut Kabupaten Pulang Pisau, sebuah asa besar dititipkan pada skema Perhutanan Sosial (PS). Harapannya sederhana namun mulia: masyarakat sejahtera, hutan tetap terjaga. Namun, bagi Antoni dari KPH Kahayan Hilir, realitas di lapangan jauh lebih menantang daripada sekadar tanda tangan di atas kertas izin.
Secara administratif, wilayah KPH Kahayan Hilir sebenarnya sudah “merdeka”. Sebanyak 18 izin PS, yang mayoritas merupakan Hutan Desa (HD), telah dikantongi masyarakat. Namun, bagi Antoni, legalitas hanyalah langkah awal. “Terkait pengelolaannya, memang tidak semua berjalan sesuai yang kita inginkan,” ungkap Antoni jujur. Ia mengidentifikasi tiga batu sandungan utama: rapuhnya kelembagaan, minimnya modal, dan yang paling fatal absennya pendampingan. Tanpa bimbingan, izin tersebut seringkali hanya menjadi dokumen mati yang tersimpan di laci.
KPH Kahayan Hilir sejatinya berdiri di atas “tambang hijau”. Potensi perdagangan karbon di lahan gambut ini sangat menggiurkan. Namun, potensi besar ini membawa kecemasan baru. Ada kekhawatiran mengenai tumpang tindih lahan antara proyek Rehabilitasi Hutan dan Lahan (RHL) dengan kegiatan pemulihan lainnya.
Koordinasi antarinstansi menjadi harga mati. Antoni menekankan agar lembaga pendamping lebih intens menjalin komunikasi dengan dinas terkait. “Jangan sampai proyek dari provinsi dan kementerian bertabrakan di satu lokasi yang sama,” pesannya.
Tantangan paling berat justru muncul dari kesalahpahaman akar rumput. Masih banyak warga yang mengira izin PS adalah “lampu hijau” untuk menyulap hutan menjadi kebun sawit.
Antoni menceritakan pengalamannya saat berhadapan langsung dengan warga yang bersikeras menguasai lahan secara sepihak. “Saya pernah ditopong (dihalang-halangi/ditentang) masyarakat. Intinya, dia mau menanam sawit di lokasi PS. Saya jelaskan, kawasan hutan ini tidak bisa diperlakukan seperti itu,” kenang Antoni.
Rendahnya literasi kebijakan ini tak jarang melibatkan aparat desa yang memiliki persepsi berbeda dengan aturan negara. Hutan kerap dipandang sebagai lahan sengketa, bukan warisan yang harus dikelola bersama.
Keberhasilan Perhutanan Sosial di Kahayan Hilir tidak bisa hanya mengandalkan semangat satu pihak. Izin hanyalah pintu masuk; peningkatan kapasitas SDM dan dukungan modal adalah kendaraan untuk melaju.
Hutan tidak akan memberi manfaat jika masyarakatnya dibiarkan berjalan sendirian. Dibutuhkan sinergi kuat agar hutan di hilir Kahayan ini tetap basah dan hijau, sembari memberikan senyum kesejahteraan bagi warga di sekitarnya.
Penulis: Alma
In the peatlands of Pulang Pisau Regency, great hopes are pinned on the Social Forestry (PS) scheme. The hope is simple yet noble: community prosperity, forest preservation. However, for Antoni of the Kahayan Hilir Forest Management Unit (KPH Kahayan Hilir), the reality on the ground is far more challenging than simply signing a permit.
Administratively, the Kahayan Hilir KPH area is already “independent.” The community has obtained 18 Social Forestry permits, the majority of which are Village Forests (HD). However, for Antoni, legality is only the first step. “Regarding management, not everything goes as we would like,” Antoni admitted frankly. He identified three main stumbling blocks: institutional fragility, lack of capital, and, most crucially, the absence of mentoring. Without guidance, these permits often become mere documents tucked away in a drawer.
The Kahayan Hilir KPH stands on a “green mine.” The potential for carbon trading in these peatlands is enticing. However, this enormous potential brings new concerns. There are concerns regarding overlapping land use between the Forest and Land Rehabilitation (RHL) project and other restoration activities.
Inter-agency coordination is crucial. Antoni emphasized the need for facilitating agencies to maintain closer communication with relevant agencies. “Don’t let projects from the province and the ministry collide in the same location,” he advised.
The most significant challenge arises from grassroots misunderstandings. Many residents still believe that a Social Forestry (PS) permit is a “green light” to transform forests into oil palm plantations.
Antoni recounted his experience dealing directly with residents who insisted on unilaterally acquiring land. “I was once supported (obstructed/opposed) by the community. Essentially, they wanted to plant oil palms on the PS site. I explained that this forest area cannot be treated like that,” Antoni recalled.
This low level of policy literacy often involves village officials who have differing perceptions from state regulations. Forests are often viewed as disputed land, not as an inheritance to be managed collectively.
The success of Social Forestry in Kahayan Hilir cannot rely solely on the enthusiasm of one party. Permits are only the entry point; human resource capacity building and capital support are the vehicles for progress.
Forests will not benefit if communities are left to navigate alone. Strong synergy is needed to keep the forests downstream of Kahayan moist and green, while also bringing smiles of prosperity to the surrounding residents.
Author: Alma
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