Perhutanan sosial: Definition

Updated 2026-11-02 · 2 min read · By the akar.earth specialist team

What is perhutanan sosial (social forestry) in Indonesia? The five schemes, how communities get forest access rights, and how it links to carbon projects.

Perhutanan sosial (social forestry) is Indonesia’s programme that gives local communities, farmer groups and customary communities legal rights to manage and benefit from forest areas. It covers five schemes: Hutan Desa (village forest), Hutan Kemasyarakatan (community forest), Hutan Tanaman Rakyat (community plantation forest), Kemitraan Kehutanan (forestry partnership) and Hutan Adat (customary forest).

Why it matters

Social forestry turns informal use into recognised rights. That matters for carbon: a project needs clear rights to the land and the carbon it generates. Permenhut 6/2026, socialised in April 2026, explicitly names social forestry, customary forests and communities as legitimate, equal participants in forestry carbon trading, framed as “carbon for the people.”

How it works

• Communities apply for a permit or recognition through the Ministry of Forestry, with support from local government and NGOs.
• Permits set the area, period and allowed activities, such as agroforestry, non-timber forest products, ecotourism and environmental services.
• Holders prepare management plans and report on activities.
• Under Permenhut 6/2026, groups can take part in carbon activities following set procedures. See social forestry carbon.

Indonesia and Southeast Asia angle

Social forestry areas often hold smallholder agroforestry with coffee, cocoa, rubber, candlenut and fruit trees on state forest land. They are natural sites for ARR, agroforestry and avoided deforestation projects with strong community ownership. They also matter for EUDR: coffee or cocoa from social forestry land may be legal under Indonesian law, but must still be deforestation-free and traceable.

The government has set large targets for social forestry area, and the area under permits has grown over the past decade. Support for permit holders remains uneven: many groups lack the capital, technical help and market links needed to make good use of their rights, which is where carbon and agroforestry partnerships can help.

Common mistakes

• Treating social forestry permits as freehold title.
• Designing projects for groups rather than with them; see FPIC.
• Ignoring permit terms that limit activities.
• Skipping benefit sharing rules for group members.

Compare with hutan adat and read Permenhut 6/2026.