Ecosystem restoration in Pematang Limau started in November 2022. First, a free prior and informed consent (FPIC) process was carried out to ensure that villagers were fully informed about ecosystem restoration and that they consented to it. Subsequently, the village head issued a decree to establish a restoration team. Finally, community meetings were facilitated to agree on the restoration design and select the areas that will be restored as well as the tree species, ensuring a balance among species with ecological, economic, and social value. The first trees were planted in February 2023.

Land Use History
In 2000, the area outside of land cover in Pematang Limau was around 196,044 ha, while by 2020 it had increased to around 196,127 hectares. Based on the data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, in twenty years, Pematang Limau converted 6,014 ha of secondary swamp forest into plantations (262 ha), shrubs (5520 ha), and bare land (231 ha). Pematang Limau has a permanent secondary swamp forest of 15,406 hectares as well as a natural succession of shrubs into a secondary swamp forest of 3,444 hectares. So the total forest area in Pematang Limau village now amounts to 21,336 hectares or the equivalent of 9.8% of the village area.

Intervention Details:
Total area planted: 55 ha
Year(s) planted: 2023
Species:
Belangeran (Shorea balangeran)
Galam Wood (Melaleuca leucadendron)
Agarwood (Aquillaria malaccensis)
Balsa (Ochroma grandiflorum)
Ubar/Bay Leaf (Syzygium polyanthum)
Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni)
Areca Nur (Areca catechu)
Bitter Bean (Parkia speciosa)
Djengkol (Archidendron pauciflorum)
Durian (Durio sp.)
Nangkadak (Artocarpus heterophyllus x integer)
Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana)
Crystal Guava (Psidium guajava)
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
Longan (Dimocarpus longan)
Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Mango (Mangifera indica)
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)
Proportion of species by function: 43% ecological, 8% social, 49% economical
No. of trees planted: 8,749

Impact:
Besides restoring biodiversity and ecosystem functions, community-based restoration supports the diversification of community livelihoods from agroforestry and non-timber products.