The Power of Community in Land Cover Mapping: Stories from the Karsa Bentala South Sumatra Meetup Series

The Power of Community in Land Cover Mapping: Stories from the Karsa Bentala South Sumatra Meetup Series

The Karsa Bentala community meetup series—locally known as kopi darat—has emerged as an important milestone in strengthening participatory land cover mapping in South Sumatra. Designed to support nature-based climate solutions, the initiative is driven by the Epistem, building on the foundations of the earlier Restore+ effort. It is implemented by Landscape Alliance (CIFOR-ICRAF) Indonesia, with core support from IIASA, BRIN, and WRI Indonesia.

Held in Palembang, the meetup series unfolded in three intensive phases between August 2025 and March 2026. It brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including regional government agencies such as Bappeda, the Plantation Office, the Forestry Office, and the Social Forestry Center, alongside civil society organizations represented by Hutan Kita Institut (HaKI), and academic partners from Universitas Sriwijaya (UNSRI). This collaborative platform was designed to address persistent challenges related to fragmented spatial data through a shared, open-source approach.

Beyond technical exchange, the sessions created a space for joint learning and co-development, where participants could directly engage with tools and methodologies for participatory mapping. By fostering dialogue across institutions, the initiative has helped build a shared understanding of how improved data systems can support more effective land-use planning and environmental governance.

Hopes and the Way Forward

The benefits of this collaborative effort are already evident among participants. Aryati from Bappeda South Sumatra noted that the training significantly strengthened their capacity to support land-use analysis, particularly in the context of revising the Regional Spatial Plan (RTRW). Similarly, Hasnan Fajri from the Plantation Office emphasized how improved access to spatial data enables more precise and informed decision-making.

From the forestry sector, Himawan Sutanto highlighted the platform’s role in improving the efficiency of forest and land rehabilitation programs. Meanwhile, Heni Martini from HaKI shared that after learning to use the Luma tool, the mapping process became significantly more practical and accessible compared to conventional methods—an improvement expected to enhance field-level conservation work.

Looking ahead, participants see Karsa Bentala not just as a series of meetings, but as a growing community of practice. Aryati expressed this aspiration clearly: “We hope this forum expands beyond a discussion space and evolves into a broader platform that connects more stakeholders—including government, academia, civil society, and other sectors that have not yet been involved.”

Through this expanding network, members are committed to continuing knowledge exchange, coordinating updates to spatial data, and promoting its effective use to support sustainable development across South Sumatra. As the initiative evolves, Karsa Bentala demonstrates how community-driven approaches can play a pivotal role in strengthening data governance and advancing participatory landscape management.

Introducing the Karsa Bentala Community

Under the Epistem project, a Community of Practice (CoP) known as Karsa Bentala (Prakarsa Pemantauan Bentang Lahan / Landscape Monitoring Initiative) was established as a collaborative learning space focused on advancing participatory landscape mapping. The community promotes the development of technologies that are inclusive, adaptive, and accessible to a wide range of users.

The name Karsa Bentala, meaning “a noble aspiration for the earth,” reflects a shared commitment to understanding, managing, and protecting landscapes through sustainable and inclusive approaches. It embodies the collective vision of bringing together diverse actors to strengthen data-driven environmental stewardship.

Karsa Bentala brings together technical experts from diverse institutions who actively contribute across the development cycle of Epistem’s tools. Their involvement ranges from testing early versions of the platform and providing user feedback to designing mapping case studies tailored to sector-specific needs.

Within this framework, the kopi darat (Kopdar) sessions have become a central space for hands-on learning and exchange. Across three meetup phases, participants built their capacity in geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, before advancing to the use of Luma (Land Use Mapping for All), a cloud-based mapping platform developed under Epistem. This shared learning journey covered key steps such as defining mapping objectives, accessing earth observation data, generating land cover maps, and conducting accuracy assessments, as well as exploring how these outputs can inform decision-making processes.

Equally important, participants contributed direct feedback to the development of Luma, ensuring that the platform remains responsive to real user needs and grounded in practical applications.

As a tangible outcome, members of Karsa Bentala have developed localized land cover mapping case studies relevant to South Sumatra. One notable example is the Plantation Office’s mapping initiative for coffee plantations in Pagar Alam Regency, demonstrating how participatory approaches can translate into concrete, decision-support tools at the regional level.