Implementasi Kebijakan Kesatuan Pengelolaan Hutan Berbasis Partisipasi Masyarakat di Kabupaten Buru

Abstract

Forest Management Units (FMUs) are intended to strengthen forest governance at the site level, yet their implementation depends on institutional capacity and community engagement. This study examines FMU policy implementation and community participation in KPHP Model Unit II Wae Apu, Buru Regency, Maluku, Indonesia. A descriptive qualitative approach combined in-depth interviews and questionnaires with a review of policy documents, institutional reports and regional planning documents. Data were analysed through iterative reduction, display and verification. The findings indicate progress in institutional establishment, forest management planning and initial forest resource utilisation. However, implementation remained constrained by limited personnel, inadequate technical infrastructure, weak inter-agency coordination and insufficient integration of stakeholder interests. Community participation was uneven and associated with economic incentives, trust and local sociocultural conditions. Communication, institutional capacity, resource availability and governance arrangements also emerged as important implementation factors. The study highlights a gap between formal policy provisions and operational practice. Strengthening participatory governance, institutional capacity and coordination is therefore important for more effective and sustainable forest management in Buru Regency.