The politics of participation in forest management - A case from democratizing Indonesia

Embracing the opportunities provided by democratization and decentralization, the
Wonosobo district of Central Java, Indonesia, enacted a local regulation for participa-tory
forestry. The regulation emphasized rights-based political participation and as such
entailed significant participation by civil society groups. However, this regulation faced
a backlash from the remaining representatives of the old authoritarian state. They
demanded a state-created utilitarian-based participatory forestry scheme, emphasizing