Participatory Action Research training (PAR), to bring positive change and impact to community

Makassar, Indonesia - A four-day training on participatory action research (PAR) for community forestry in Indonesia kicked-off yesterday in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Conducted in collaboration with the University of Hasanuddin and supported by The ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Change (ASFCC), the training includes 26 participants from universities, national park management units, forestry traininng centers and national forestry departments. The participants will be trained on the fundamental principles of PAR as well as the key processes and tools for its development and implementation.

Forest management in Indonesia, as in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, is extremely complex, making sustainable management a perennial challenge. However, in conducting research to improve forestry practices, researchers have traditionally addressed issues from the top down, which has created a disconnect between current professional practices and what is actually needed on the ground. PAR, instead, is based on the principle of including local people in meaningful research. Incorporating multiple perspectives and enabling critical reflection, PAR allows for context-specific results and leads to positive change. 

The Dean of Forestry Faculty of Hasanuddin University, Dr. Ir. Muh. Restu, highlighted the importance of PAR for sustainable forest management during the training's opening session.

“We are optimistic that PAR will bring positive change and make an impact on our communities,” he said.  

Through PAR, both the participatory processes and the research results are more likely to have positive implications for the research subject than traditional top-down research approaches, because PAR is both designed and conducted in partnership with local people for the local people.