TRENGGALEK – Trenggalek village cooperative project has drawn attention after 20 villages proposed forest land for the construction of Koperasi Desa Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDKMP), a program included in Indonesia’s National Strategic Project (PSN).
Most villages submitted requests for forest areas because they lack enough non-forest land for development, officials said.
Deputy Head of KPH Perhutani Kediri Selatan, Hermawan, explained that limited available land inside villages forced many local governments to seek locations inside forest zones.
“Regarding the PSN KDKMP program in Trenggalek, several proposed locations are inside forest areas. Villages could not find suitable land, so they requested sites in forest zones,” he said.
Out of the 20 proposed locations, nine villages fall inside areas managed by Perhutani, while the other 11 are located in Special Forest Management Areas, known as KHDPK.
“In Trenggalek, there are 20 points. Eleven are inside KHDPK areas, while nine are located in forest land managed by Perhutani,” he explained.
Villages requesting land inside Perhutani-managed areas include Sumurup, Srabah, and Botoputih in Bendungan District.
Other villages include Sawahan, Dukuh, and Ngembel in Watulimo District, as well as Mlinjon and Gamping in Suruh District, and Pringapus in Dongko District.
Meanwhile, KHDPK proposals come from villages such as Sengon and Dompyong in Bendungan, Masaran, Ngulungwetan, and Ngulungkulon in Munjungan, and Pakel in Watulimo.
Despite the proposals, authorities have not approved any of the requests. Officials are still reviewing all documents and permit applications.
Hermawan said Trenggalek Regent submitted the applications, and the approval process remains ongoing.
“The regent submitted the proposal, so we are waiting for the process,” he said.
Officials first considered releasing the forest land from its protected status because the cooperative buildings would become village assets.
However, after further discussion, authorities may choose a forest-use borrowing permit scheme, known as Izin Pinjam Pakai Kawasan Hutan (IPPKH), instead of permanent land release.
This option would allow development while keeping the forest land under state management.
Even though the project targets forest areas, the local government has asked villages to protect environmental sustainability during construction.
Officials especially want to reduce tree cutting and avoid unnecessary forest damage.
The total proposed land area reaches around two hectares. Each village requested an average of about 1,000 square meters for the KDKMP development project.
“The regent’s message is clear. We must keep tree cutting to the absolute minimum,” Hermawan said.