Enviro News Asia, Belém — Indonesia reaffirmed its commitment to advancing social forestry, Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) as key pillars of regional climate action within ASEAN. The statement was delivered by Julmansyah, Director for Tenure Conflict Resolution and Customary Forests, Directorate General of Social Forestry, Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia, during the ASEAN Social Forestry Talk Show at the ASEAN Pavilion, COP30 in Belém, Brazil (17 November 2025).
Julmansyah emphasized the central role of forests across ASEAN as the foundation of livelihoods, cultural identity, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
“These forests are not just ecosystems—they are the backbone of livelihoods, cultural identity, biodiversity, and climate resilience in our region. This is why ASEAN Member States have placed forests at the core of our climate strategies, including more ambitious NDCs and regional initiatives such as ASEAN Vision 2045,” he stated.
ASEAN is home to more than 206 million hectares of forests, covering nearly half of the region’s land area. Member States continue to strengthen climate ambition through enhanced NDCs and long-term visions, including ASEAN Vision 2045.
A key highlight of the forum was the finalization of the ASEAN Guidelines and Tools for implementing NbS/EbA within Sustainable Forest Management and Social Forestry. Developed collaboratively by the ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry, the ASEAN Working Group on Forest Climate Change, UN-REDD, and partners, these guidelines provide practical, science-based, community-centered guidance to ensure long-term sustainability.
Representing ASEAN, Julmansyah conveyed two core regional positions for COP30:
First, ASEAN emphasized the importance of sustainable and predictable climate finance to support forest protection, restoration, and sustainable forest management in achieving NDC targets.
“Climate finance must facilitate full implementation of REDD+, Sustainable Forest Management, and Nature- and Ecosystem-based Solutions. Such support is vital for strengthening readiness and institutional capacity for forest-based mitigation and adaptation,” he noted.
Second, ASEAN called for enhanced capacity-building to strengthen technical and institutional systems for MRV, carbon accounting, and transparent reporting under the Enhanced Transparency Framework.
“Capacity-building should foster inclusive regional collaboration, support technology transfer, and promote knowledge exchange,” he added.
In closing, Julmansyah reaffirmed ASEAN’s unity in positioning forests, social forestry, and NbS/EbA as climate action pillars.
“ASEAN moves forward with a unified voice—through the collective strength of our Member States and partners. Today’s panel reflects this collaboration and ensures that Social Forestry and NbS/EbA remain central to our regional climate action. Together, we can build an ASEAN where forests are protected, communities are empowered, and our climate future is secured,” he concluded.
The event underscored the region’s strengthening direction in positioning forestry as the foundation of both climate mitigation and adaptation, while ensuring that indigenous peoples and local communities remain at the center of sustainable approaches. (*)
