The Role of Forest Farmers Group Through Payment for Environmental Services Scheme in Preserving Water Resources in Cidanau Watersheds at Banten, Indonesia

Abstract

In an effort to preserve the environment, a lot has been done, both by the government and the community, one of which is through the payment for environmental services scheme. Payments for environmental services (PES) are a relatively new program in efforts to preserve natural resources that have been applied in several countries, including in Indonesia. One of the PES Program in Indonesia is in Cidanau watershed of Banten Province which emphasizes more on the preservation of the water resources services of the Cidanau River which is a source of raw water for the people in Cilegon. This program involves several stakeholders, including users of environmental services, farming communities, NGOs, and local governments. The success of this program is determined by the synergy of all these stakeholders. Farmer communities in the upstream watershed are land owners and have a role as environmental preserver. This research was conducted in 2017 by taking the case of the Forest Farmers Group in Tamanjaya Village, Ciomas sub-district, Serang Regency, Banten Province. The research method was a qualitative method with the informant as the head of the Forest Farmers Group Karyamuda 2. The data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that forest farmer groups played an important role in the success of the PES program in the Cidanau watershed. Positive things found include (1) the Cidanau river flow is relatively constant, (2) land cover with higher crops is increasing, and (3) the farmers welfare are