Biang Sari Customary Forest Patrol Activity, Pengasi Baru Village

The KPHA Biang Sari Patrol Team, together with the CFES Team, conducted a routine patrol and monitoring on July 21, 2023, in the Customary Forest as part of efforts to prevent illegal activities such as encroachment, illegal logging, illegal mining, forest fires, poaching of wildlife, as well as the protection of endangered flora and fauna.

The patrol and monitoring team, consisting of 8 people, 6 from KPHA Biang Sari and 2 from CFES, followed predetermined block routes within the Customary Forest area (specifically in the protected zone) to observe and evaluate forest encroachment and other illegal activities. The patrol and monitoring activities employed the SMART Patrol method, allowing all field observation data to be processed and serve as a database for evaluation, decision-making, and planning of future activities.

The patrols are conducted regularly, 12 times a year, to monitor changes in forest cover and the presence of trees within the forest. Additionally, these activities serve as a reference to measure the effectiveness of efforts in preventing deforestation and degradation of the customary forest. From the patrol results, only signs of wildlife were found, including droppings from a Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis) and footprints of a Muntjac Deer IPB University (Muntiacus muntjac).

CFES remains committed to providing assistance and capacity-building training to strengthen the knowledge and skills of customary forest managers.