Assessing Social Forestry in Indonesia: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Land Cover Change and Carbon Sequestration in South Sulawesi

Abstract

Social forestry is a government strategy aimed at improving community welfare while promoting forest conservation, making it essential to assess its effectiveness in maintaining land cover and carbon absorption capacity. This study evaluates land cover changes and carbon sequestration in the context of social forestry in North Luwu and East Luwu Regencies, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. These regions contain the largest forest areas in the province, making them crucial for addressing deforestation, forest degradation, and climate change mitigation. Geospatial and modeling analysis were employed to assess land cover dynamics and estimate carbon sequestration in social forestry permit areas. The results indicate an increase in forest area of approximately 3000 hectares, contributing to potential carbon sequestration of around three million tons of carbon dioxide over five years, particularly in the Angkona Forest Management Unit. However, other forest management units, such as Rongkong, Baliase, and Kalaena, experienced a decline in forest area due to agricultural expansion, leading to increased carbon emissions. These findings provide a scientific basis for policy recommendations to support sustainable forest management and climate change mitigation efforts in Indonesia. Cite this article as: Rijal, S., Chairil, A., Mukrimin., Samsuri., Nursaputra, M., Syamsul, K. A., Dwiputra, W. S., Pambudi, A. I., A., Pratama, A., & Elistyawati, A., Putri, A. L. A. (2026). Assessing social forestry in Indonesia: A spatio-temporal analysis of land cover change and carbon sequestration in South Sulawesi. Forestist, 76, 0007, doi: 10.5152/forestist.2026.25007.

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