The first day of the Workshop on the Use, Monitoring, and Evaluation of DBH DR in Berau District. Photo: USAID SEGAR.

Berau– Berau District Government, through the facilitation of the USAID Sustainable Environmental Governance Across Regions (SEGAR) Activity, organized a series of workshops for Village Assistance related to the Use, Monitoring, and Evaluation procedure of the Reforestation Fund (DBH DR) in Berau District on November 22-23, 2023. "The workshop series began on November 22, 2023, to finalize the assessment results conducted by the Berau District Government Assessment Team from June to November 2023. This included determining the list of villages, along with the corresponding amount of DBH DR funds for each village, to be stipulated in the Bupati Decree later

On the same occasion, representatives of the Berau District DBH DR Incentive Assessment Team, consisting of the Economic and Natural Resources Division of the Regional Secretariat, the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappelitbang), Office for Environment and Forestry (DLHK), Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and the Community Empowerment and Village Government Agency (DPMK) of Berau District, presented a report on the results of field verification conducted from October to November 2023. The activities were then followed by the calculation of the final value of the field verification results as the basis for determining the amount of incentives to be received by the villages. The calculation revealed that a total of 28 villages from 9 sub-districts had passed both document and field verifications. These villages were set to receive the DBH DR incentives, planned for disbursement at the end of November 2023.

On the second day (November 23, 2023), the workshop continued to assist village officials on understanding the mechanisms of DBH DR distribution, scope of utilization at the village level, and reporting/accountability for the realization of these funds. The event was officially opened by the Acting Assistant II (Development and Economic Affairs), accompanied by the Head of Economic and Natural Resources Division of the Regional Secretariat of Berau District. Representatives from the 28 villages and officials from the 9 sub-districts attended the event.

"The District Government and Village Government have until 2024 to utilize DBH DR. With this workshop, it is hoped that village officials can understand the mechanism of the fund, optimize the use based on village potentials, and maximize this workshop to ask questions and consult with the speakers," said Acting Assistant II, Ir. Ilyas Natsir, in his opening remarks.

As an overview, the Berau District Government has a remaining reforestation fund of approximately IDR 114 billion, which is currently being utilized by regional agencies such as BPBD, District Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (Dinas PUPR), and DLHK based on the Minister of Finance Regulation No. 216/PMK.07/2021 on the Use, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Reforestation Funds. In practice, at the regional level, the Berau District Government also developed incentive mechanisms by developing performance indicator variables and assessment simulations outlined in the District Regulation No. 33 of 2022 on the Implementation of the Use of DBH DR Fund for the Regional Fiscal Year of 2022-2024. This regulation serves as a guideline for assessing all villages in Berau District to determine which ones meet the criteria for receiving DBH DR incentives. The total DBH DR funds to be distributed to the villages amount to IDR 2.7 billion, which will be disbursed to 28 villages.

In the core session of the workshop, village officials received presentations from 3 speakers, including Bejo Untung (USAID SEGAR consultant for DBH DR), the District Financial and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD), and DPMK. They discussed the stages of assessment conducted by the Berau District DBH DR Incentive Assessment Team. The presentation also covered the DBH DR distribution scheme by BPKAD, the requirements for the Village Government, the administration of DBH DR funds through the Village Financial System (Siskeudes), reporting and accountability procedures, the scope of DBH DR utilization activities, and the monitoring and evaluation scheme for realizing DBH DR funds in 2024.

The workshop concluded with a coaching clinic/consultation by village officials with the speakers. This assistance is expected to provide an understanding of the fund's mechanisms, enabling optimal utilization for environmental protection in each receiving village. During the same meeting, USAID SEGAR also encouraged village governments to utilize the fund for developing programs and activity plans oriented towards land and forest rehabilitation, strengthening the village economy, including developing alternative livelihoods for the village community, and enhancing environmental governance at the village level.

The enthusiasm captured in a photo with participants and workshop speakers. Photo: USAID SEGAR.

The ambiance of the Village Assistance Workshop regarding the utilization, monitoring, and evaluation of DBH DR in Berau. Photo: USAID SEGAR.