Protecting Our Shared Home: The Role of Community Forests in Saving Endangered Wildlife in Indonesia

Every third Friday of May, the world observes Endangered Species Day, a moment to raise public awareness that extinction is not merely an ecological issue, but a crisis that directly affects human life. The observance began with U.S. Senate Resolution No. 431 in 2006 and has since grown into a global movement involving governments, communities, scientists, and civil society around the world.

The IUCN Red List 2024 reports that out of more than 157,000 assessed species, over 44,000 are classified as threatened, including Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), and Vulnerable (VU) categories. In the midst of this crisis, Indonesia stands at a critical crossroads: it is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, yet also one of the countries facing the most alarming rates of species decline.

According to the Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity compiled by UNEP, Indonesia is home to 732 mammal species, 1,711 bird species, 750 reptile species, and more than 1,200 freshwater fish species. These figures place Indonesia among the world’s mega biodiverse nations. However, this natural wealth is increasingly threatened by interconnected structural pressures, including deforestation, poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat fragmentation. Today, more than 1,300 species in Indonesia are listed as CR, EN, or VU in the IUCN database, including the Sumatran Rhino, Sumatran Tiger, Tapanuli Orangutan, and Sunda Pangolin, the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world.

Communities Are the Frontline Defenders

CFES operates within Indonesia’s Social Forestry framework, a set of five community-based forest management schemes formally recognized by the government through Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 9 of 2021 on Social Forestry Management. The World Bank, in its Strengthening of Social Forestry in Indonesia Project (2020), identified this framework as one of Indonesia’s most strategic pillars for biodiversity conservation and carbon emission mitigation.

Through a standardized Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) mechanism, CFES provides real and verified financial incentives to communities that successfully protect forests. This approach bridges community-level ecosystem protection commitments with institutionally accountable incentive systems.

On the ground, the results are tangible. LPHD Rio Kemunyang in Jambi conducts SMART-based patrols to monitor and protect the Sunda Pangolin along the ecological corridor of Kerinci Seblat National Park. Meanwhile, LPHD Lemmanis in West Kalimantan manages orangutan habitat while also supporting education funding and community healthcare services, proving that wildlife conservation and human well-being can advance together.

Scientific evidence further reinforces this approach. Busch and Ferretti-Gallon (2023), in a synthesis of 320 peer-reviewed studies on tropical deforestation, concluded that Indigenous and community forest management is among the most consistent factors in reducing deforestation across the world’s tropical regions. In other words, when communities are granted secure rights, sufficient technical capacity, and fair incentives, empirical evidence shows they become the most effective forest guardians.

Evidence from both field experience and research points to a consistent conclusion: conservation led by local communities is not only ecologically effective, but also socially and economically sustainable. The efforts of LPHD Rio Kemunyang and LPHD Lemmanis in protecting their forests are not accidental. They are the result of governance systems that provide communities with the right combination of rights, tools, and incentives.

However, this model can create broader impact only if it is supported by consistent national policies, responsible private sector investment, and active public participation. This is where the role of every stakeholder becomes inseparable.

One Forest, One Movement

The Javan Rhino still roaming Ujung Kulon, orangutans still swinging through the canopies of Kalimantan, and pangolins still digging through the foothills of the Bukit Barisan range are all the result of long-term collective efforts, often carried out quietly and without recognition. Endangered Species Day reminds us that this work is far from finished.

The government must accelerate the recognition of Social Forestry rights and strengthen law enforcement against wildlife crime. The private sector must engage in transparent and verified PES schemes. Local communities must continue to receive support in participatory governance and sustainable forest-based economic development. And each of us, as consumers, citizens, and digital citizens, can choose not to buy unsustainable products, help spread accurate narratives, and support communities that choose to protect forests.

Because when community forests stand strong, every life within them stands with us.

References

• Busch & Ferretti-Gallon (2023). Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 17(2), 217–250. DOI: 10.1086/725051

• IUCN (2024). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2024.

• The Clearing-House Mechanism of the CBD (2019). 6th National Report for the Convention on Biological Diversity: Indonesia. UNEP/CBD.

• World Bank (2020). Strengthening of Social Forestry in Indonesia Project (Project Appraisal Document P165742). World Bank Group.