Universitas Palangka Raya Advocates Silvofishery to Transform Village Forests into Sustainable Fish Farms

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FORMOSA NEWS - Palangkaraya - Widespread reliance on traditional palm oil and rubber plantations often leaves other massive ecological resources untapped. To address this economic imbalance, a research team from Universitas Palangka Raya has introduced a community-driven framework to utilize social forestry for sustainable aquaculture. The initiative provides an eco-friendly blueprint to improve local welfare without disrupting protected forest cover. The extensive community service project was led by Rosana Elvince, Eti Dewi Nopembereni, Yuli Ruthena, Evnaweri, Ivone Christhiana, Norhayani, and Firlianty from Universitas Palangka Raya. Conducted in November 2025 in Pilang Village, Central Kalimantan, the study demonstrates how communities can legally and safely convert up to 30% of local village forests into productive fish farms using an innovative system known as silvofishery. The findings are vital as regions across Indonesia seek ways to build climate-resilient economies while preserving critical rainforests and peatlands.

Balancing River Pollution and Social Forestry Regulations
Pilang Village is strategically situated along the banks of the Kahayan River, a geographic position that naturally favors fisheries. However, the river ecosystem faces severe environmental pressure due to upstream sand and gold mining activities. These open-mining operations alter the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the water, making traditional river fishing increasingly unpredictable and vulnerable to pollution. To counter these ecological threats, the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry enacted Regulation No. 4 of 2023. This policy allows local communities to manage state forest lands under social forestry schemes, specifically endorsing silvofishery. Silvofishery integrates brackish or freshwater aquaculture with mangrove or peatland forest conservation. While Pilang Village possesses an expansive 8,583-hectare Village Forest under a formal 2019 decree, local utilization remained heavily skewed toward agriculture, leaving the lucrative fisheries sector neglected.

Simple Methodologies for Community Mapping
To bridge the gap between national environmental policy and local practice, the Universitas Palangka Raya research team deployed an interactive, field-based training methodology. The team engaged 25 active participants from the Pilang Village Forest Group (LPHD), ensuring direct communication with the primary stakeholders of the forest area. The researchers divided the program into two accessible phases:

• Observation and Coordination Phase: The team conducted field visits to gather social, economic, and environmental data regarding the community's immediate needs. They synchronized their action plans with village administrators to secure institutional support.
  
• Implementation Phase: The academic team combined traditional lectures with collaborative mapping workshops. Wargaurged to identify specific zones within the official Village Forest Map to evaluate their practical understanding of spatial boundaries.
  

Key Findings: Regulatory Gaps and Peatland Opportunities

The data gathered during the participatory mapping sessions revealed significant administrative and educational bottlenecks within the village:

• Severe Lack of Policy Awareness: More than 50% of the local participants did not know that the law permitted fish farming within state forest boundaries. This confusion was mirrored by a low participation rate during the initial mapping exercises.
  
• Misplacement of Active Businesses: The village had already established a dedicated Social Forestry Business Group (KUPS) for fisheries. However, due to a lack of spatial training, the group operated its aquaculture businesses entirely outside the boundaries of the designated village forest area.
  
• Over-Concentration on Monoculture: The 8,583-hectare forest territory was used almost exclusively for rubber and palm oil extraction, ignoring diverse revenue streams.
  
• Unused Peatland Canals: The study identified that old, abandoned peatland canals snaking through the village forest constitute ideal environments for farming indigenous fish species.
  

Real-World Impact and Policy Implications
The model designed by Universitas Palangka Raya offers immediate economic advantages for rural development. By shifting fish farming into abandoned peatland canals, villagers can raise native fish species that are inherently adapted to local water chemistry. This step significantly drops operational and feed costs while buffering the community against the pollution affecting the main Kahayan River. On a broader scale, the study proves that green economic diversification is achievable through structured academic intervention. Local governments can replicate this framework to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), proving that forest conservation and poverty alleviation can successfully coexist. According to the Universitas Palangka Raya research team, the transition to sustainable forestry businesses relies heavily on local institutional capacity. In the published report, lead researcher Rosana Elvince noted that the long-term success of social forestry hinges on maintaining a strict balance between ecological integrity and equitable economic distribution within village-led institutions.

Author Profiles
Rosana Elvince is a senior researcher at Universitas Palangka Raya, specializing in aquatic resource management and sustainable freshwater aquaculture systems.
Eti Dewi Nopembereni is an academic at Universitas Palangka Raya whose work centers on the socio-economic dynamics of fisheries and community empowerment.
Yuli Ruthena serves as a faculty member at Universitas Palangka Raya, focusing on environmental technology and sustainable aquaculture designs.
Evnaweri is an environmental scientist at Universitas Palangka Raya, specializing in integrated coastal and peatland water management.
Ivone Christhiana is a conservation researcher at Universitas Palangka Raya, dedicated to preserving inland water ecosystems and indigenous fish habitats.
Norhayani is a social forestry expert at Universitas Palangka Raya, focusing on institutional capacity building for forest-dwelling communities.
Firlianty is a professor at Universitas Palangka Raya, with extensive expertise in fish nutrition, aquaculture product technology, and biochemistry.

Source
Rosana Elvince, Eti Dewi Nopembereni, Yuli Ruthena, Evnaweri, Ivone Christhiana, Norhayani, dan Firlianty. Community Empowerment through the Utilization of Village Forests for Sustainable Fish Farming. Asian Journal of Community Services (AJCS). Volume 5, Nomor 6 2026, Halaman 377-386.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ajcs.v5i6.37
URL: https://journalajcs.my.id/index.php/ajcs