South Sumatera

Focus Location: South Sumatra

In South Sumatra, Land4Lives focuses on climate change mitigation in Banyuasin and Musi Banyuasin Regencies. Activities are carried out in six villages in the Lalan Mendis Forest Management Unit (Musi Banyuasin) and six villages in the Saleh-Sugihan Forest Management Unit (Banyuasin). The majority of the Lalan Mendis Forest Management Unit (FMU) is production forest, while the Saleh-Sugihan Forest Management Unit (KHG) is one of the priority restoration KHGs (Peat Hydrological Units) in South Sumatra Province.

KHG Saleh Sugihan

188.714 ha Total Area
22.888 ha Cultivation Area
165.825 ha Protected Area

Landscape & Ecosystem Conditions

Located along the coast of the South China Sea, this area is home to 14 land cover classes, dominated by scrub swamps (94,272 ha), rice fields (57,872 ha), and logged-over mangrove forests. The primary land cover in the cultivated area is dominated by rice fields and agriculture, while secondary swamp forests characterize the protected forest area.

Conservation Notes: KHG Saleh Sugihan is the location of the Padang Sugihan Wildlife Sanctuary, a conservation area that is very important for the protection of elephants.

Challenges & Food Security

The main challenge in this region is the large amount of unproductive land, particularly in the scrub swamp area, which covers 95,222 hectares. The food security analysis was conducted using Food Security and Vulnerability Atlas (FSVA) data down to the village level.

  • Sub-landscapes (SL) 02, 03, 05, and 06 were identified as the most vulnerable groups to food security.
  • Three sub-landscapes were selected representing low, medium, and high levels of vulnerability based on evaluation of Ecosystem Services (ES) values, disaster risk (flood/drought), and land cover.
Peta Tutupan Lahan KHG Saleh Sugihan
Land cover map and food security/vulnerability index of KHG Saleh-Sugihan, South Sumatra Province (source: KLHK 2020)

KPH Lalan Mendis

315.583 ha Total Area
61% Peatlands (193.096 ha)
16 Land Cover Class

Landscape Conditions & Land Cover

The Lalan Mendis Forest Management Unit (KPH) is dominated by production forest. Land4Lives activities here focus on non-concession areas or community development areas under the social forestry program. The most dominant land cover is mixed plantations (20,101 ha), followed by scrub swamps (23,708 ha) and logged-over swamp forests.

Sub-Landscape (SL) Mapping

  • SL1 & SL2: Close to a conservation area.
  • SL3, SL4, & SL5: Adjacent to non-forest areas (Other Use Areas/APL).
  • SL6: Located right in the middle of KPH.
Field Findings (FGD Results):
The SL 4 area borders directly with Jambi Province (APL), has deep peat criteria, frequent land fires, and is categorized as highly disaster-prone.

The SL 6 area shows that several areas are included in PT/HTI/RHM Concession Areas. There is a conflict of interest in the Village Forest (Kepayang Village), but there is also an active Fire Awareness Community Group.
Peta Tutupan Lahan KPH Lalan Mendis
Sub-landscape suitability map of KPH Lalan Mendis, South Sumatra Province