Pustaka Ilmiah Universitas Padjadjaran

Abstrak

Political Ecology Of Deforestation (Studi Kasus: Kerusakan Hutan Konservasi Semidang Bukit Kabu, Kabupaten Bengkulu Tengah)

Deforestasi di Indonesia merupakan permasalahan yang sudah lama terjadi semenjak dari masa pemerintahan terpusat. Beberapa faktor penyebab yang sering dikaitkan dengan permasalahan ini yaitu pertumbuhan dan persebaran penduduk, pertumbuhan ekonomi, perkembangan teknologi, dan kebijakan pemerintah. Melalui perspektif political ecology dan mengambil kasus kerusakan di hutan konservasi Semidang Bukit Kabu, Bengkulu Tengah, penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkonfirmasi faktor-faktor tersebut. Fokus penelitian tidak hanya pada kerusakan hutan yang terjadi saat ini, melainkan memelajari proses yang terjadi dari pemerintahan terpusat hingga era desentralisasi. Selain itu, peran berbagai aktor seperti pemerintah pusat, pemerintah daerah baik provinsi maupun kabupaten, pihak perusahaan pertambangan dan perkebunan, dan masyarakat sekitar hutan, turut menjadi bagian dari analisis. Hasilnya menjelaskan bahwa walaupun hutan Semidang Bukit Kabu berstatus hutan konservasi, namun hal tersebut tidak serta merta menunjukkan keberpihakan pemerintah terhadap kelestarian lingkungan dan kelangsungan hidup masyarakat sekitar. Kenyataannya penetapan status hutan konservasi pada tahun 1973 tersebut dilakukan secara sepihak. Kemudian,ijin usaha pertambangan yang dikeluarkan pemerintah diawal tahun 80-an dilanjutkan dengan keluarnya ijin usaha lainnya untuk kawasan sekitar hutan dan bahkan membiarkan praktik-praktik pencemaran lingkungan yang terjadi telah memicu terjadinya konflik dengan masyarakat setempat. Dengan demikian, tata kelola hutan yang dijalankan di sekitar wilayah hutan konservasi Semidang Bukit Kabu masih mengikuti model pemerintahan terpusat, dimana kepemilikan hutan oleh negara dan berideologikan kapitalisme-eksploitatif, sehingga atas nama kepentingan negara kebijakan-kebijakan yang dihasilkan memberikan peluang pada aktor-aktor terkait terutama pegusaha pertambangan dan perkebunan untuk melakukan ekploitasi secara besar-besaran tanpa mengindahkan aspek kelestarian lingkungan dan kesejahteraan masyarakat setempat.

Deforestation is a complex problem in Indonesia that has been continuously occurring since the centralized regime, where the state puts its power to control all the forest area in the territory of Indonesia. Some factors often discussed as the driving forces for this problem are increasing of population, economic growth, development of technology, and government policy. This study is not directed to see these factors one by one, but to analyze the problem of deforestation comprehensively through political ecology lens. It is believed that the environmental problem, including deforestation, does not occur naturally, but it is designed by some actors such as central government, local government, business, and forest community, that further interconnected with the government policies. Taking the deforestation case in Semidang Bukit Kabu conservation forest, located in the district of Bengkulu Tengah, this study is an attempt to track what kind of actors’ activities and the government’s policies as well that have been the triggers for the deforestation. To do that, this study is not only paying attention to the recent problem, in decentralized era, but also track back to the deforestation case in the centralized regime, analyzing the connection of the actors and progress of government policies during the centralized and decentralized period. The result explains that the interaction among actors is characterized with the domination of the central government actor as the representative of the state. In the name of the state’s interest which is closely related with capitalism, the central government decision in declaring the Semidang Bukit Kabu forest as conservation forest in 1973 and allowing unsustainable practice of the coal mining corporation to dig mineral around the forest in early 80’s is far more weight to serve elite’s, government and business, that the forest community. Then, the identical model has been run in decentralization era. Even though it is mandated by the law to transfer power to the local government and encourage local participation in forest management, the real power to control the forest is still hold by the central government. In that sense, there is unclear authority in managing the forest. Consequently, the deforestation continuously happens because the actors are busy with their own businesses, taking benefit from the forest extraction.