The collaboration between LPHD Telaga and CFES began in December 2021, initiated through a Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process to provide detailed information about the program to the community and to obtain a voluntary agreement from the community to participate. As a follow-up, CFES and LPHD held a kick-off meeting in January 2022, marking the official start of the program implementation in Telaga Village Forest.
LPHD Telaga also conducted internal discussions regarding the planned collaboration with CFES and held a series of consultations with Kamipang Subdistrict authorities, Forest Management Unit (KPHP) Unit XXX Katingan Hilir, and the Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership Agency (BPSKL) for the Kalimantan Region. This indicates that the collaboration process between LPHD and CFES also involved key stakeholders from both local and national government levels. The cooperation agreement between LPHD Telaga and CFES was officially signed on March 21, 2022, and witnessed by the Village Head of Telaga, Telaga Village Consultative Body (BPD), traditional leaders, and representatives from KPHP Unit XXX Katingan Hulu.
The collaboration between LPHD Telaga and CFES, supported by Wilmar’s RaCP program, will span a period of eight (8) years. This cooperation enables LPHD Telaga to accelerate the implementation of its Village Forest Management Plan (RPHD), including optimizing the activities of seven Social Forestry Business Groups, which cover: environmental services, non-timber forest products, timber forest products, agroforestry, fisheries, ecotourism, and swiftlet bird nest farming. These initiatives aim to improve the well-being of the Telaga Village community and serve as a model for community-based forest management that delivers multiple benefits.