“Forestry
is not about trees, it is about people. And it is about trees only insofar
as trees can serve the needs of people”
(Westoby,
1967).
Overview
It is important to have common understanding
that forest is not only trees or habitat of wildlife. In Indonesia, or mostly in
Asia, Africa, and Latin America, if we talk about forest as an ecosystem or
landscape, we have to include communities living inside or nearby forest
area or event for those who live far away but their livelihood, their food,
health, and quality of life depend upon forest resources and its environmental
services. Timber, water supply for consumption, agriculture, and estate, water
balance, micro climate; prevention from erosion, landslide, the role of
pollination processes, non timber forest products such as rattan, honey,
medicinal plants, materials for roof, clothing, housing, canoes, ropes; river
system in the forest are part of important transportation system, and so on.
More than 2.4 billion people or 40 percent of people live in less developed
countries still used firewood for cooking (State of the World’s Forest 2014).