Guidelines on the Exploitation of Freehold and Traditional Owned Forests

To ensure the implementation of the current legislative framework on forests the Minister of Forestry has issued a Regulation stipulating the guidelines to be applied in the exploitation of freehold and traditional owned forest areas (hutan hak). The basic premise of the Regulation is to maximize conservation, protection, and production of these types of forest reserves.

The guidelines also call for a complete inventory of hutan hak to be taken. The inventory process is designed to ascertain the resources contained within the forest areas being surveyed. On completion of the inventory process, these forest areas are to be mapped. Finally, the hutan hak are to be acknowledged as such.

The guidelines set-out the rights and obligations of the title holders to the hutan hak. The title holders are allowed to utilize or exploit these forest areas to the extent permissible by law. Nevertheless, this right does not exist without corresponding obligations including to secure the hutan hak, preserve, and increase productivity, among others. The Regulation further mandates that title holders must protect the forest area from fires, disease, and the ill-effects of occupation.