Watershed Management Planning Under PERMENHUT P.37/2010
Introduction
Indonesia's complex topography, tropical climate, and extensive river systems create both opportunities and challenges for water resource management. Watersheds (daerah aliran sungai/DAS) function as fundamental hydrological units where land use, forest cover, and human activities directly affect water quantity, quality, and timing of flows. Peraturan Menteri Kehutanan Nomor P.37/Menhut-V/2010 (PERMENHUT P.37/2010) establishes comprehensive procedures for preparing watershed rehabilitation management plans, addressing the critical intersection of forestry, water resources, and environmental conservation.
This regulation provides technical frameworks for assessing watershed conditions, identifying rehabilitation priorities, designing intervention strategies, and planning coordinated restoration activities across complex landscapes involving multiple jurisdictions and stakeholders. Issued in 2010 and published in State Gazette (Berita Negara Republik Indonesia) Year 2010 Number 389, the regulation served as a foundational instrument for watershed management planning until its supersession by Permen LHK No. 10 of 2022.
PERMENHUT P.37/2010 recognizes that effective watershed management requires integrated planning approaches that address forest and land rehabilitation holistically rather than through isolated site-specific interventions. The regulation emphasizes scientific assessment, multi-stakeholder coordination, and long-term planning horizons essential for reversing watershed degradation and restoring hydrological functions. This article examines the regulatory framework, planning procedures, technical methodologies, and implications for integrated landscape management.
Legal Context and Watershed Management Principles
PERMENHUT P.37/2010 implements provisions of several foundational legal instruments governing forestry and water resources management. Law No. 41 of 1999 on Forestry establishes forest rehabilitation as a core forestry function, while Government Regulation No. 76 of 2008 on Forest and Land Rehabilitation (later superseded by PP 26/2020) provides detailed rehabilitation frameworks.
The regulation also implements provisions of Presidential Regulation No. 24 of 2010 on the Ministry of Forestry's institutional authority, which assigned watershed management responsibilities to the Ministry of Forestry (later merged into the Ministry of Environment and Forestry). Government Regulation No. 37 of 2012 on Watershed Management subsequently provided comprehensive watershed governance frameworks that shaped implementation of PERMENHUT P.37/2010.
The regulation defines watershed (daerah aliran sungai/DAS) as a land area bounded by topographic divides that collects and channels rainfall through a drainage network to a single outlet. This hydrological unit concept recognizes that upstream land use decisions affect downstream water conditions, creating interdependencies that demand coordinated management across political boundaries.
Several watershed management principles underpin PERMENHUT P.37/2010. The integrated management principle requires coordination across sectors (forestry, agriculture, water resources, spatial planning) and jurisdictions (national, provincial, district) within watershed boundaries. Hydrological functions take priority, emphasizing water quantity regulation, water quality maintenance, erosion control, and flood mitigation as primary management objectives.
The participatory approach principle mandates stakeholder involvement in planning, implementation, and monitoring, recognizing that diverse land users, communities, governments, and sectors must coordinate their actions for watershed management success. The sustainability principle requires balancing economic development, environmental conservation, and social welfare over long time horizons.
Upstream-downstream linkages receive explicit recognition, acknowledging that upstream forest degradation generates downstream impacts including sedimentation, flooding, dry season water shortages, and water quality deterioration. The regulation emphasizes that upstream rehabilitation investments benefit downstream populations, suggesting mechanisms for downstream beneficiaries to support upstream conservation.
Planning Process and Institutional Arrangements
PERMENHUT P.37/2010 establishes detailed procedures for preparing watershed rehabilitation management plans (Rencana Pengelolaan Rehabilitasi Hutan dan Lahan/RPR-HL), creating structured planning processes for addressing watershed degradation.
The planning process begins with watershed condition assessment, evaluating multiple indicators including forest cover percentage, land degradation extent, erosion rates, sedimentation levels, water availability patterns, flood frequency and severity, and land use/land cover changes over time. These assessments classify watersheds into priority categories (high, medium, low priority) based on degradation severity and downstream population exposure.
Technical planning teams conduct field surveys, analyze remote sensing data, consult historical records, and interview local communities to compile comprehensive watershed condition profiles. Standardized assessment methodologies enable comparison across watersheds and objective prioritization of rehabilitation investments.
Based on watershed assessments, planning teams identify critical areas requiring intervention. These typically include severely degraded lands with high erosion rates, steep slopes with inadequate vegetation cover, riparian zones lacking buffer vegetation, headwater areas vital for water supply, and landslide-prone zones threatening settlements or infrastructure.
The regulation requires planning teams to develop comprehensive rehabilitation strategies addressing identified problems through multiple intervention types. Reforestation activities focus on establishing forest cover on degraded forest lands using native species appropriate to local ecological conditions. Agroforestry systems combine trees with agricultural crops, providing erosion control while supporting farmer livelihoods. Soil and water conservation structures including terracing, check dams, and gully plugs reduce erosion and promote water infiltration. Vegetative measures like grass strips, hedgerows, and cover crops protect soil during agricultural operations.
Institutional arrangements for plan preparation involve multiple government levels and agencies. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry provides technical guidance, standardized methodologies, and quality assurance for watershed planning. Provincial forestry services coordinate planning within provincial watersheds, while district forestry offices contribute local knowledge and facilitate community engagement. River basin organizations (balai pengelolaan daerah aliran sungai/BPDAS), as technical implementation units of the Ministry, often lead plan preparation for priority watersheds.
Stakeholder consultation requirements ensure that watershed rehabilitation plans reflect diverse perspectives and gain legitimacy. Consultations must include district governments whose jurisdictions include watershed areas, sector agencies managing water resources, agriculture, and spatial planning, community representatives from upstream and downstream areas, farmer groups and agricultural cooperatives, private sector entities with operations in watersheds, and environmental organizations with conservation interests.
Planning timeframes typically span 18-24 months from initiation to final approval, reflecting the technical complexity and extensive consultation requirements. Approved plans serve as five-year strategic documents guiding annual operational planning and budgeting.
Technical Components and Priority Determination
PERMENHUT P.37/2010 specifies detailed technical components that watershed rehabilitation management plans must address, ensuring comprehensive analysis and strategic intervention design.
The biophysical assessment component examines topography and slope gradients identifying erosion-prone areas, soil types and characteristics affecting land use suitability and erosion susceptibility, rainfall patterns and intensity informing erosion risk and water management needs, existing land cover and vegetation documenting current conditions as baselines, and stream flow characteristics including dry season low flows and wet season peaks.
The socioeconomic assessment component analyzes population distribution and density affecting pressure on natural resources, livelihood patterns and economic activities revealing drivers of land degradation, land tenure and use rights determining implementation approaches, community organization and capacity indicating readiness for participatory programs, and poverty and vulnerability highlighting areas where rehabilitation must incorporate livelihood support.
The institutional assessment evaluates government agency capacity for plan implementation, existing programs and funding sources enabling rehabilitation activities, regulatory frameworks affecting land use and conservation, and coordination mechanisms across sectors and jurisdictions.
Based on these assessments, plans establish spatial prioritization of rehabilitation interventions. The regulation provides criteria for determining priority areas including high erosion rates indicating urgent need for intervention, critical watershed locations where degradation generates severe downstream impacts, feasibility of success based on biophysical and social conditions, community willingness to participate in rehabilitation programs, and cost-effectiveness of alternative intervention approaches.
Priority areas receive classification into immediate priority zones requiring intervention within one to two years, medium-term priority zones for intervention within three to five years, and long-term priority zones for intervention beyond five years. This temporal sequencing enables phased implementation aligned with budget availability and capacity constraints.
The technical prescription component specifies appropriate rehabilitation techniques for each priority area based on site conditions. For severely degraded lands with minimal soil remaining, soil and water conservation structures must precede vegetative treatments. For moderately degraded areas retaining soil productivity, direct reforestation or agroforestry establishment may proceed immediately. For agricultural lands requiring continued cultivation, in-field conservation measures like terracing, contour farming, or alley cropping provide erosion control while maintaining productivity.
Species selection receives detailed attention, with plans specifying tree species appropriate to elevation, rainfall, soil type, and intended functions. Fast-growing pioneers establish initial cover, while slower-growing climax species provide long-term forest structure. Nitrogen-fixing species improve soil fertility. Multiple-use species providing timber, fruit, or non-timber forest products support community livelihoods alongside rehabilitation objectives.
Implementation Mechanisms and Financing
PERMENHUT P.37/2010 addresses implementation mechanisms translating watershed rehabilitation plans into on-the-ground activities, recognizing that plan quality matters little without effective execution.
The regulation establishes annual operational planning processes translating five-year strategic plans into specific annual work programs. Annual plans identify priority areas for that year's activities, specify target areas and achievement indicators, allocate budgets across activities and locations, and assign implementation responsibilities to government units, communities, or contractors.
Implementation modalities vary based on land ownership, degradation severity, and local conditions. Government implementation occurs on state forest lands where the government directly conducts reforestation, soil conservation, or infrastructure development through employed workers or contractors. Community-based implementation engages local communities in rehabilitation on their lands or in nearby state forests through participatory programs providing seedlings, technical assistance, and incentive payments.
Partnership implementation involves collaboration with NGOs, private sector entities, or research institutions contributing technical expertise, funding, or community facilitation. These partnerships enable resource mobilization beyond government budgets and access to specialized capacities.
Financing mechanisms draw from multiple sources. Central government budgets through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's reforestation programs provide core funding, particularly for priority watersheds with national significance. Provincial and district government budgets support watershed rehabilitation within their jurisdictions, often coordinated with national programs. Special allocation funds (dana alokasi khusus/DAK) channel national resources to district governments for forestry and environmental programs including watershed rehabilitation.
Environmental funds and levy systems provide dedicated financing for watershed management in some regions. Downstream water users, including municipal water utilities, irrigation systems, and industries, may contribute to upstream conservation through payment for ecosystem services mechanisms. These arrangements recognize that downstream beneficiaries should support upstream conservation generating water benefits.
International development assistance and climate financing provide supplementary resources for watershed rehabilitation, particularly in globally significant watersheds. Programs addressing climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, or sustainable development often include watershed rehabilitation components.
The regulation emphasizes cost-sharing and community contribution requirements, with communities typically expected to provide labor, local materials, or land access while government provides seedlings, technical assistance, and cash payments for specific activities. This approach builds community ownership while stretching limited government resources.
Monitoring and Adaptive Management
PERMENHUT P.37/2010 establishes monitoring and evaluation frameworks ensuring that rehabilitation activities achieve intended outcomes and enabling adaptive management when conditions change or interventions underperform.
Monitoring operates at multiple levels. Activity monitoring tracks physical implementation including areas planted, structures constructed, and participants involved. This monitoring assesses whether implementation proceeds according to plans and budgets. Output monitoring evaluates immediate results like seedling survival rates, vegetation establishment, and structure functionality. These indicators reveal implementation quality and technical success.
Outcome monitoring assesses intermediate impacts on watershed conditions including reduced erosion rates, improved vegetation cover, stabilized landslides, and enhanced soil quality. These impacts typically require three to five years to become measurable, necessitating patient monitoring.
Impact monitoring evaluates ultimate watershed rehabilitation objectives including improved water availability, reduced flood severity, decreased sedimentation, and enhanced livelihood security. These highest-level impacts may require a decade or more to manifest fully, demanding sustained monitoring commitments.
The regulation specifies monitoring indicators for each level including quantitative measures like area planted, survival percentage, erosion rate, stream sediment load, and dry season baseflow, and qualitative assessments through community perceptions, stakeholder evaluations, and expert judgments.
Monitoring data collection employs multiple methods. Field measurements provide direct quantitative data on vegetation establishment, erosion, and soil conditions. Remote sensing using satellite imagery tracks land cover changes and vegetation greenness across large areas. Hydrological monitoring stations record stream flow, sediment load, and water quality. Household surveys assess livelihood impacts and community perceptions.
Monitoring results inform adaptive management adjustments. If certain rehabilitation techniques prove ineffective, plans are revised to emphasize more successful approaches. If unexpected threats emerge, like invasive species or pest outbreaks, interventions adapt accordingly. If community participation lags, implementation modalities adjust to better align with community needs and capacities.
The regulation requires periodic plan reviews at five-year intervals coinciding with plan expiration. Reviews assess achievement against objectives, incorporate monitoring findings, update baseline data, and revise strategies based on accumulated experience and changed conditions. This adaptive planning cycle enables continuous improvement rather than rigid adherence to outdated plans.
Policy Evolution and Contemporary Relevance
PERMENHUT P.37/2010 served as a foundational watershed planning instrument from 2010 until 2022, when Permen LHK No. 10 of 2022 on Preparation of General Forest and Land Rehabilitation Plans and Annual Forest and Land Rehabilitation Plans superseded it. This regulatory evolution reflects ongoing refinement of Indonesia's watershed management approach.
The 2010 regulation's contributions included establishing standardized watershed assessment methodologies enabling objective comparison and prioritization, creating structured multi-stakeholder planning processes incorporating diverse perspectives, emphasizing spatial prioritization focusing limited resources on highest-impact areas, integrating biophysical and socioeconomic factors in rehabilitation planning, and institutionalizing monitoring and adaptive management frameworks.
Implementation experience revealed both successes and challenges. Successful watersheds achieved measurable improvements in vegetation cover, erosion control, and community engagement. Comprehensive planning processes fostered coordination across agencies and sectors. Technical methodologies provided scientific rigor improving intervention effectiveness.
However, challenges persisted. Limited implementation budgets prevented full realization of ambitious plans. Coordination across jurisdictions remained difficult despite planning frameworks. Community participation sometimes remained superficial rather than genuinely empowering. Monitoring systems often lacked sustained funding and staffing. Long time lags between interventions and measurable impacts tested political patience and sustained commitment.
The 2022 regulatory update addressed some limitations by strengthening integration with spatial planning, enhancing coordination mechanisms, updating technical methodologies reflecting scientific advances, and emphasizing climate change adaptation and resilience. These refinements build on PERMENHUT P.37/2010's foundation while addressing implementation gaps.
Conclusion
Peraturan Menteri Kehutanan Nomor P.37/Menhut-V/2010 established comprehensive frameworks for watershed rehabilitation planning, addressing critical challenges of forest and land degradation affecting Indonesia's water resources. Through standardized assessment methodologies, structured planning processes, multi-stakeholder consultation, technical prescriptions, and monitoring frameworks, the regulation advanced watershed management from ad hoc interventions toward systematic, science-based, and coordinated approaches.
The regulation's emphasis on integrated planning across sectors and jurisdictions, upstream-downstream linkages, community participation, and adaptive management reflected international best practices in watershed management while adapting to Indonesian institutional contexts. Implementation experience demonstrated both the potential and limitations of planning-based approaches to complex landscape management challenges.
The regulation's legacy includes established institutional practices for watershed assessment and planning, technical methodologies still used in current planning processes, strengthened coordination mechanisms across government levels, and enhanced awareness of watershed management principles among practitioners and stakeholders. Subsequent regulatory frameworks build on these foundations while addressing identified implementation gaps.
For Indonesia's continued watershed management efforts, PERMENHUT P.37/2010's core principles remain relevant: systematic assessment of watershed conditions, science-based prioritization of interventions, comprehensive stakeholder engagement, integration across sectors and jurisdictions, and sustained monitoring enabling adaptive management. Success requires continued attention to implementation effectiveness, adequate financing, genuine participatory approaches, and sustained political commitment beyond electoral cycles.
As climate change intensifies hydrological variability and development pressures mount on Indonesia's landscapes, effective watershed management becomes ever more critical for water security, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development. The planning frameworks established by PERMENHUT P.37/2010, refined through subsequent regulations, provide essential tools for addressing these challenges through coordinated, science-based, and participatory approaches to landscape restoration and watershed governance.
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