Strategy for Increasing the Governance Capacity in Handling Forest Encroachment Cases in Bengkalis Regency

Forest encroachment cases are an issue that is in the spotlight amidst climate change. In Indonesia, forest encroachment is included in the handling of certain criminal offense units. One of the areas that has emerged in relation to this case is Riau Province. This study examines forest encroachment cases in Bengkalis Regency as one of the areas in Riau Province. This study aims to analyze strategies for increasing the capacity of governance in handling forest encroachment cases in Bengkalis Regency. This study uses a qualitative method with data collected through interviews and document studies that are considered relevant. This study adopts the opinion of Verkerk et al. (2022) regarding the governance capacity framework to analyze research objectives. There are five main elements analyzed, namely collective action, coordination, resilience, learning, and resources. The results show that there are major challenges for the Bengkalis Police Specific Crime Unit, especially in the elements of coordination and resources, which result in case disclosure being less efficient and effective. With a fairly wide geographical area, increasing capacity in these five elements is important to do.