Synergy Between Public Health and Ecosystem Conservation: A Performance-Based Approach to the Management of the Lemmanis Village Forest

Sepakat Jaya Village – Human health and environmental conservation are two sides of the same coin. This spirit lies at the heart of the Lemmanis Health Month 2025, a collaborative initiative that not only focuses on medical services but also strengthens the community’s commitment to protecting the Lemmanis Village Forest (HD Lemmanis). The program reinforces a strategic message: the quality of forest protection is directly proportional to community well-being. The better the forest is preserved, the greater the community’s access to social benefits—ranging from health services and improved nutrition to educational support.

Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Through the PES Scheme

Lemmanis Health Month is the result of collaboration between the Lemmanis Village Forest Management Institution (LPHD Lemmanis), the Sepakat Jaya Village Government, health workers, and Posyandu (integrated health post) cadres. The program receives technical support and funding from CFES and PT Dharma Satya Nusantara Tbk (DSN Group) through a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), or performance-based environmental services payment scheme.

Health and education services are delivered as incentives for the community’s success in maintaining forest cover. CFES emphasizes that the sustainability of this social support depends heavily on the community’s collective performance in preventing land clearing and forest degradation. In this way, the community is positioned not merely as beneficiaries, but as key actors in conservation.

Program Implementation: Tangible Services at the Community Level

As a concrete realization of the 2025 program, Lemmanis Health Month provides inclusive free health check-ups and Supplementary Food Provision (PMT).

Free Health Examinations and Treatment

These services were implemented in two strategic phases to reach a broad segment of the community:

• Phase I (16 November 2025): Held at the Multipurpose Hall of Sungai Beliung Hamlet, serving 107 participants, most of whom were from vulnerable groups. The high participation of vulnerable groups—especially women and the elderly—demonstrates the program’s effectiveness in reaching those most in need.
• Phase II (7 December 2025): Conducted at the Tumbang Ruwi Traditional House in Engkadin Hamlet, with 51 participants. Despite the different location, community enthusiasm remained high, indicating the urgency of accessible, community-based health services.

Supplementary Food Provision (PMT)

LPHD Lemmanis also distributed PMT in Sungai Beliung and Engkadin Hamlets, integrated with Posyandu activities. The Family PMT Program (PMTK), running since October 2025, has been adjusted based on recommendations from the Community Health Center (Puskesmas) to reach a wider range of beneficiaries, not only toddlers, but also pregnant women and the elderly by providing 100 PMT packages each month. The goal is to improve nutritional status, support maternal health, and mitigate the risk of stunting.

Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities

On the same occasion, representatives from the Sepakat Jaya Village Community Health Center highlighted that public health does not depend solely on medical interventions, but is strongly influenced by environmental quality.
“As health workers, we see firsthand that health is not determined only by the availability of medicines and hospitals. The environment in which we live plays a vital role, clean surroundings and a well-preserved natural environment are the primary foundations of our health,” said a Puskesmas representative.

Furthermore, the Puskesmas emphasized the strategic role of forests as life-support systems. Forests provide clean air and water supplies and serve as natural buffers against disasters that can trigger disease outbreaks. Conversely, forest degradation increases the risk of clean water crises and the spread of disease.

Therefore, communities are encouraged to proactively maintain their health through simple yet impactful actions, such as maintaining environmental sanitation, using water wisely, and committing to avoid forest burning and illegal logging.

Sustainability Commitment and Active Community Participation

Entering the second year of PES funding support in 2025, multi-stakeholder commitment has become a central focus. The Head of Sepakat Jaya Village, Fadrik, consistently urges residents to comply with conservation agreements as an absolute requirement for the program’s sustainability.

“We urge the community not to carry out land clearing for the sake of the sustainability of the Lemmanis Village Forest. This compliance is the key to ensuring that programs which have a positive impact on community welfare can continue,” Fadrik emphasized.

In line with this, CFES reiterates that under this scheme, the people of Sepakat Jaya Village are not merely beneficiaries, but key actors in conservation. The long-term sustainability of the program is determined by the community’s tangible performance in preventing deforestation and forest degradation.

Through Lemmanis Health Month 2025, Sepakat Jaya Village demonstrates that investments in health and conservation can go hand in hand. A well-preserved forest now serves as the foundation for a healthier, more prosperous, and more self-reliant future for the village.