Cisitu Customary Forest Sustainable Forest, Prosperous Community

“Mun aya, diayakeun, mun eweuh ulah diaya ayakeun…,” is important advice from Abah Yoyo Yohenda, Head of the customary community of Kasepuhan Cisitu to the community and the customary forest technical verification team before verifying subjects and objects of the proposed Cisitu customary forest. Abah Yoyo advised the community to provide truthful information without adding or subtracting information to the Integrated Team for Kasepuhan Cisitu Customary Forest Verification.

The Integrated Team comprises several work units and technical implementing units under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Geospatial Information Agency, Directorate of Belief in God Almighty and Customary Law Community, Directorate General of Culture, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, and STKIP Setia Budhi Rangkasbitung. The Integrated Team led by Herry Yogaswara from the National Research and Innovation Agency verified the customary forest proposal from the customary community of Kasepuhan Cisitu regarding customary community subjects and customary forest objects.

The customary forest is one of the social forestry schemes provided by the government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Other schemes include Hutan Desa-HD (Village Forest), Hutan Kemasyarakatan-HKm (Community Forest), Hutan Tanaman Rakyat- HTR (Community Plantation Forest), and forestry partnerships. Customary law communities must manage customary forests. The communities, such as traditional associations, have customary law institutions that still adhere to and collect forest products in the surrounding forest areas recognized under regional regulations.

The customary structure of Kesepuhan Cisitu is led by Abah Yoyo Yohenda and assisted by several baris kolot. Baris kolot consist of dukun kolot, bengkong, catur galur, penghulu, paraji, and assistants in other fields. There is tilu sapamilu in the application of customary law, the alignment of three elements of policy enforcement in its implementation, i.e., nagara, syara, and mahaka (state, religion, and custom).

The customary community of Kasepuhan Cisitu has a traditional concept of customary land spatial planning, namely leuweung tutupan (leuweung kolot), leuweung titipan, and leuweung awisan Leuweung tutupan/leuweung kolot is a sacred forest area that the community can never cultivate. Leuweung titipan is entrusted from karuhun. Therefore, to work on it requires instructions from the ancestors. They can use this land for urgent needs under the elders’ (Kasepuhan leaders) permission. Leuweung awisan is a reserve land, an expansion of arable land. The state, through the Mount Halimun Salak National Park, has created zoning for the management of the national park, which includes the core zone, jungle zone, utilization zone, and other zones (traditional, religious, cultural, historical, rehabilitation, and special).

The verification team then looked at the overlap and intersection between the concept of forest use and the zoning concept of the national park. It turned out that there are similarities between the customary community of Kasepuhan and the concept of the national park regarding forest functions. Leuwung tutupan, for example, has the same function as the core zone in the national park zoning, as a conservation area. However, sometimes findings in the field show management differences between the state and the customary community concepts. Say that a supposed production forest (managed by Perhutani) becomes a rice field area that the community has cultivated for a long time. It could be that the rice field is also a cultivated leuweung (forest).

Before proposing a customary forest designation to the government, the community must first obtain its customary law community title. It shall be designated by the regional regulation if the proposed location is within the state forest area or by the Decision Letter of Regent if the proposed area is outside the state forest area. The designation follows the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry No. 9 of 2021 concerning Social Forestry). Kasepuhan Cisitu has been recognized as a customary community by the government under the Regional Regulation of Lebak Regency No. 8 of 2015 concerning Recognition, Protection, and Empowerment of the Customary Law Community of

Kasepuhan

The process of preparing and verifying the designation of a customary forest, customary land, and the possible customary forest locations must be “clear,” for instance, there has to be an agreement with the customary land or neighboring village government without conflict. These processes also serve as media for conflict resolution related to customary land between the internal and external customary communities of Kasepuhan. Furthermore, participatory mapping aims to enable the customary community to recognize objects and potentials in their customary land.

The forest in the customary community of Kasepuhan Cisitu has many functions. Leuweng tutupan Leuweng Tutupan functions as a conservation area, maintaining ecosystem sustainability and a water catchment area that can protect Kasepuhan village from floods and landslides. We can utilize the potential forest products of the customary forest for economic, social, and cultural needs.

There is rattan in the wilderness for handicraft products or accessories, such as boboko (rice holders), kaneron bags, or armlets.

There is also bamboo for artistic instruments such as angklung buhun which consists of gong-gong, panembal, kingking, inclok, lower, and dog-dog. During a discussion with a buhun angklung player, the player said that playing angklung means conveying a message through the melodies of the angklung buhun. The harmony and melody of the angklung buhun symbolize the harmony in the relationship between the government, traditional actors, and incu putu

There certainly is, say, picung root decoction to treat stomach aches. There is also tuak ilat made of weeds, which is processed from weed extracts to drink. This decoction is to treat coughs or to use as an eye drop.

There is much to be done after a customary forest designation, not only concerned with conservation and the interaction between the community that owns and safeguards the customary forest and its customs. The forest is an inseparable part of community cultural interactions because economic and social needs and cultural facilities exist in the wilderness. In terms of culture, the owner community carries the knowledge about traditional food ingredients or traditional/ alternative medicines.

Traditional knowledge regarding food processing, the introduction of plants as herbal remedies, and how to prepare them is only known to the older generation. The process of transmitting knowledge sometimes faces obstacles. Therefore, it is necessary to revitalize the indigenous youths’ spirit to identify the cultural potential of the customary forest.

Follow-up actions after designation are crucial. Incu putu in Kasepuhan must benefit from the customary forest. Law No. 5 concerning the Advancement of Culture stipulates that we can utilize the objects of advancement of culture to strengthen national identity and economy. However, before that, the younger generation and other incu putu must be willing to explore knowledge regarding objects of advancement of culture in their customary lands along with the potential for their development and utilization. Central and local governments also participated.

The younger generation must first be enthusiastic about exploring traditional knowledge from kolot-kolot (the elders) kasepuhan and then create a place or space for knowledge transmission. Abah Yoyo Yohenda emphasized that introducing culture to the younger generation must be sustainable so that they can understand their culture, local wisdom, and traditional knowledge shared by the elders. Such endeavors, for instance, participation in cultural practices or rituals carried out by the elders, such as during the preparation or implementation of Seren Taun, a rice harvest festival held to mark the new agricultural cycle.

Customary forest designation aims to improve the lives of the customary law community of Kasepuhan Cisitu. Utilization of customary forests for economic needs must pay attention to ecological balance, as well as the advancement of culture. In this way, they can realize the ideals of the customary community, as their slogan says: leuweung hejo, masyarakat ngejo (sustainable forest, prosperous community).