The Role of Forestry Sceientists in Policy-Making Process in Indonesia

Abstract

It has been a long debate towards the roles of scientists in policy-making process. In differentiating with the other stakeholders, the role of the scientists is providing the possibilities instead of deciding between the possibilities. It means that the scientists expect to gather facts and provide predictions to current and proposed policies rather than to determine policies. In the forest policy making arena, forestry scientists are seeking to play a positive role in policymaking and contribute for a better process and results of policy. In fact, however, forestry scientists are playing a minor role in a public discourse, e.g. the contribution of scientists through their statements about forest fire in the global public media \vas only about 12% and in the Indonesian public media even less than 3 %. Enhancing role of the forestry scientists is required because it is critically important in a functioning democracy and a better forest policy. The objectives of this paper are to understand the various views of the scientists in defining forestry problems and to evaluate the role of forestry scientists to contribute in the policy-making process in Indonesia. Keywords: forestry scientists, forest fire, lndonesia, media, policy-making process 1.