In a Wednesday morning panel session” we heard from Jefferson Tasik with the Jaringan Untuk Hutan  (JUAH)” who recounted the story of a local community that was given right to manage its land. Known as Koperasi Hutan Jaya Lestari (KHJL) in Konawe Selatan” Indonesia” the cooperative set up its own successful timber business” providing hope to the community's young people.

“Half of the youth of Koperasi are former illegal loggers” who  used to be in and out of jail”” Tasik said. “Now” there is a drastic change to the culture. The mindset of the young generation is that they see the forest as an investment in the future. Now they are well known in the community as conservationists.”

The lesson is that the culture to preserve is strengthened by economic incentives and clear tenure rights. After the cooperative received its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification in 2005″ the market value of its timber multiplied by 1″000″ according to Tasik.  The community follows the regulations closely” cutting only trees of a certain circumference” and planting enough replacement trees to exceed the FSC's requirements. While members of the community once planted ten trees for every tree they felled” they now plant 100.