Science-Based Spatial Zonation For Sustainable Forest And Agriculture Development In Sorong Regency

Description

The Land Suitability and Environmental Carrying Capacity Development Program for District-Level Spatial Zoning is designed as a response to increasing pressure on Indonesia’s natural resources resulting from the expansion of agricultural and extractive commodities, which has often come at the expense of environmental and social sustainability. While commodities such as coffee, oil palm, cocoa, and rice play a strategic role in the national economy and in sustaining local livelihoods, their continued development requires a science-based, context-specific, and adaptive land-use planning approach. This program is implemented under the framework of the FOLUR (Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration) Project, supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented in collaboration with relevant ministries, UNDP, and FAO, with a focus on five priority districts: Central Aceh, Mandailing Natal, Sanggau, Luwu, and Sorong.

The primary objective of the program is to establish a robust scientific foundation for district-level spatial planning and zoning that balances economic development, environmental protection, and social equity. Specifically, the program aims to conduct multi-criteria land suitability assessments for key commodities, determine environmental carrying capacity and ecosystem resilience, and develop an integrated and adaptive spatial zoning framework that is responsive to climate change and development dynamics. All analyses are undertaken using four development scenarios, ranging from Business as Usual to Optimal Sustainable Development, to better understand long-term trade-offs and the implications of alternative land-use pathways.

To achieve these objectives, the program undertakes a comprehensive set of technical and participatory activities. Core interventions include bio-physical analyses (soil, topography, climate, and water resources), environmental carrying capacity assessments (biodiversity, hydrology, carbon stocks, disaster risks, and ecosystem services), and the integration of these results into GIS-based spatial zoning instruments. Strong emphasis is placed on multi-stakeholder engagement through public consultations, recognition of customary and traditional land-use systems, and capacity development for local governments and communities to strengthen spatial planning and sustainable landscape management.

The program seeks to deliver actionable and policy-relevant outputs, including high-resolution land suitability and environmental carrying capacity maps, an operational integrated spatial zoning framework, and practical technical guidelines and decision-support tools for district authorities. Additional outcomes include policy recommendations and technical inputs for formalizing zoning into legally binding district spatial plans (RTRWK), the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems to support adaptive management, and tailored training materials to ensure long-term implementation. Collectively, these results are expected to support more resilient, inclusive, and forward-looking land-use planning while advancing biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and improved livelihoods for local communities.

Funding

This program is supported by the UNDP FOLUR Program, program period December 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026, with total funding support of IDR 1,562,220,000.