Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia and the Ministry of Culture of Indonesia signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Jakarta to strengthen collaboration in aligning forest management with the preservation of Indonesia’s cultural values.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday at the Ministry of Culture office and marks an important step toward integrating natural resource management with cultural heritage protection.
Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni stated that forests should not only be viewed as ecological landscapes but also as cultural landscapes that hold significant value for local communities.
According to him, one of the mandates from President Prabowo Subianto is to expand recognition of customary forests for Indigenous communities. The government has already designated 366,000 hectares as customary forests accessible to Indigenous Peoples and aims to accelerate the designation to 1.4 million hectares within the next four years.
“In this context, we believe that protecting forests is the same as protecting Indonesia’s culture and wealth,” Antoni said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon emphasized the constitutional mandate outlined in Article 32 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution, which states that the state must advance Indonesia’s national culture while guaranteeing the freedom of communities to preserve and develop their cultural values.
He noted that the responsibility to promote national culture is not limited to the Ministry of Culture but also involves all stakeholders, including the central government, regional governments, private sector, and the wider community.
The MoU signing was part of a broader collaboration initiative involving several ministries, government institutions, and regional administrations. Partners participating in the cooperation include the Ministry of Creative Economy of Indonesia, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs of Indonesia, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and the Jakarta Provincial Government.
Through this partnership, the government expects to generate new initiatives that integrate local wisdom and cultural values into sustainable forest conservation efforts across Indonesia. (*)
