Forest Management and Community Development with Special Reference of the Area in Adjacent to Mt. Arjuno-Mt. Welirang, East Java

Forest management and community development are widely explored to demonstrate the proper strategy to meet the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. It is especially important in the area where human population growth contributes to significant threats to forest resources. With the diverse forest ecosystem and specific characteristics of the local community socio-cultural background, there is still a need to complete a comprehensive understanding of the forest and human relationship towards sustainable forest management. It is especially crucial in Indonesia, where the forest ecosystem is bio-physically diverse, and the human living system is also diverse. The aim of the research was to describe the experience of the East Java Provincial Government in drawing the strategy for forest management and community development with special reference to the area adjacent to Mt. Arjuno and Mt. Welirang. This study shows that the Government of Eat Java has provided numerous policies to support community participation and facilitated numerous strategic programs to increase local community welfare. The participation of related stakeholders in forest management was also significant. Problems with the local community participation included a lack of knowledge, skill, and entrepreneurial spirit to optimize forest resources sustainably. The adaptation to response social, economic and environmental changes was poor, leading to the poor capacity of adaptation. These limitations become serious threats to community development. The continuous collaboration with numerous stakeholders should be formulated in the proper relationships, equal, and adaptive to future changes.