In an effort to empower the communities of target villages, FORCLIME recently held a series of training sessions on stingless honeybee farming in conjunction with the West Papua Provincial Forestry Service and the Forest Management Unit of Sorong Selatan for forest farmers groups in two supported villages in West Papua Province, specifically the villages of Wendi and Haha which are located in South Sorong Regency. The training activities were held from 21 – 22 November 2022 in Wendi and from 23 – 24 November 2022 in Haha. The training participants comprised three groups of forest farmers from Wendi (Wendi 1, Wendi 2, Lembah Hijau) and three from Haha (Imian, Sesna and Nagi).

The participants received training from a stingless honeybee expert, Dr. Mahani, SP., M.Sc. from the Faculty of Agricultural Industrial Engineering at the University of Pajajaran. The types of stingless honeybees that were introduced during the training sessions were the Tetragonula biroi and the Heterotrigona itama species.

During the training, the participants learned about several areas relating to the species in question, including:
1. Beekeeping techniques for the superior Trigona.
2. How to identify and select stingless bees for bee farming.
3. How to make beekeeping boxes (‘stup’).

During the training, the participants practiced making the stup beekeeping boxes and also gained knowledge based on expert experience in honeybee cultivation, including the economic prospects relating to this time-honored activity.

In the local language, stingless bees are known as 'hok' while bees that sting are called 'towa'. Local people have used hok honey since ancient times, however, to date they have not yet cultivated it for commercial purposes. Through the recent training sessions though, the villagers learned how to develop beekeeping within an economic context in the hope that they will be able to generate additional income for their villages in the future.

For more information, please contact:
Melanesia Brigite Boseren, Junior Advisor for Rural Livelihood, Forest Management and Conservation
Nita Yohana, Adviser for Sustainable Forest Management and Coordinator for West Papua Province
Mohammad Sidiq, Strategic Area Manager for Sustainable Forest Management and Coordinator for Papua and West Papua Provinces

Created: 29 November 2022

Continuing with the series of FGDs on the development of national forest bioeconomy policies in Indonesia, FORCLIME, supported by Bappenas, held a recent FGD that addressed the potential of the forest product processing industry and the role of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in supporting forest bioeconomy development in Indonesia. This FGD was held on 18 November 2022 in Yogyakarta and was also conducted online.

The meeting was opened by Mrs. Dr. Nur Hygiawati Rahayu, ST, MSc, Director of Forestry and Water Resources Conservation at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, and was divided into two sessions. During the first session, the FGD focused on the potential development of forest products to support the bioeconomy. The first resource person taking part in this session was Mrs. Aida Greenbury of the World Bioeconomy Forum. Mrs. Greenbury offered an overview of current issues relating to international bioeconomy forums, as well as examples of existing bioeconomy development strategies that are being pursued in other countries. Some of the enabling conditions required to support bioeconomy development include the availability of bio-databases, regulation of the roles and responsibilities of key ministries, investment research and analysis, demand formation and market ecosystems, and international cooperation.

The next resource person to offer insights into this area was Mrs. Merrijantij Punguan Pintaria, ST, M.Eng, who is the Director of the Forest and Plantation Products Industry at the Ministry of Industry. Mrs. Merrijanti provided information on the profile and performance of the forest and plantation product industry and the economic conditions of global manufacturing, as well as policies in Indonesia that have the potential to support the development of the bioeconomy industry. Coordination of the upstream/downstream industry with the Investment Coordinating Board/Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal (BKPM) also represents an important form of capital capable of encouraging investment in accordance with domestic requirements and as a part of efforts aimed at increasing the strength of the upstream sector, including the forestry sector.

During the second session, the discussion focused on the concept and role of ABS in supporting bioeconomy development. The resource persons for this session were Mr. Hartmut Meyer and Mr. Olivier Rukundo from GIZ and Mr. Rik Kutsch Lojenga from the Union for Ethical Biotrade. These two experts explained that ABS could offer legal certainty to owners of genetic resources and researchers, as well as encourage product development and guarantee fair profits for the parties involved. ABS implementation requires a clear policy framework and strong coordination between relevant ministries and government agencies. There are a number of best practices for the implementation of ABS that provide benefits for a country, however, in some countries, ABS actually hinders the development of research into genetic resources. Therefore, a thorough analysis of the existing legal frameworks must be carried out to avoid any duplication or conflict with existing regulations.

For more information, please contact:
Nurdita Rahmadani, Junior Advisor for Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
R. Rizka Dewi Zuleika, Junior Advisor for Sustainable Forest Management
Pipin Permadi, Senior Advisor and Liaison Officer
Wandojo Siswanto, Strategic Area Manager for Forest Policy and Climate Change

Created: 25 November 2022

As part of a study on the development of national forest bioeconomy policies in Indonesia, FORCLIME, supported by Bappenas, recently visited the laboratory of the Center for Testing Standards for Forestry Instruments (BBPSIK) Yogyakarta and the laboratory of the Faculty of Forestry, Gadjah Mada University (Fahutan UGM). This visit was undertaken in an effort to seek information on the latest developments in bio-based products and the views of researchers/academics on the potential for bioeconomy development in Indonesia. Led by Mrs. Dr. Nur Hygiawati Rahayu, ST, MSc as Director of Forestry and Water Resources Conservation at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, the visit was held on 17 November 2022.

At BBPSIK Yogyakarta, Bappenas and FORCLIME teams were received by the Head of BBPSIK Yogyakarta, Mr. Dwi Prabowo Yuga Suseno, S.Sc., M.Sc., PhD. In his remarks, Mr. Dwi Prabowo offered a glimpse into the role of BBPSIK Yogyakarta in the wake of the issuance of the Job Creation Law, as well as the various facilities that are owned and operated by BBPSIK Yogyakarta, which include laboratories and Special Purpose Forest Areas. Mr. Prabowo’s remarks also addressed bioenergy development activities involving nyamplung plants (Calophyllum inophyllum). The development of nyamplung plants at BBPSIK Yogyakarta first got underway in 2008 and the initial focus of this development was upstream improvement through the selection of superior stems and then multiplying them to obtain plants characterized by high levels of productivity. Currently, this development is being successfully continued and is working on the extraction and manufacture of biodiesel. In this regard, biodiesel derivatives can be used as sources of bioenergy and biopharmaceuticals. Biodiesel processing waste can also be used to make briquettes, liquid smoke, feed and cosmetics.

After the discussion, the team was taken to visit the Oil Producing NTFPs Testing Laboratory to observe the process of extracting vegetable oil through the application of various methods, as well as differences in the quality of the oil based on species and processing process. The team also visited the Tissue Culture Test Laboratory to observe the tissue culture techniques that are being used on several plants such as nyamplung, sandalwood, eucalyptus and sengon.

The team then moved to Fahutan UGM, where it was welcomed by the Dean of Fahutan UGM, Mr. Sigit Sunarta, S.Hut., MP, M.Sc., Ph.D, and a selection of lecturers. Discussions with academics at UGM focused on views and opinions relating to opportunities and challenges for the future development of the forestry bioeconomy. One of the important points discussed was the need to analyze market opportunities and synchronize upstream and downstream forest products to ensure that the carrying capacity of the allocated land has the right benefits and avoids land degradation problems.

For more information, please contact:
Nurdita Rahmadani, Junior Advisor for Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
R. Rizka Dewi Zuleika, Junior Advisor for Sustainable Forest Management
Pipin Permadi, Senior Advisor and Liaison Officer

Created: 23 November 2022