Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Ministry of Forestry have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen research collaboration and evidence-based policymaking in national forest management.
The MoU was signed by BRIN Head Arif Satria and Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni on Wednesday (February 11) at the Hasjrul Harahap Meeting Room, Manggala Wanabakti Building, Jakarta.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni emphasized that the progress of a nation is closely linked to the strength of its research and scientific capacity. He said that increasingly complex challenges in the forestry sector require strong and sustainable scientific support.
He underlined the importance of BRIN’s role, particularly in providing data-driven research and advanced technologies to address issues such as remote sensing applications, digital security, and monitoring illegal logging, illegal mining, and palm oil activities within forest areas.
According to the minister, inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaboration is essential to overcome institutional limitations and accelerate national development in line with the President’s direction.
Meanwhile, BRIN Head Arif Satria said the MoU marked a critical momentum to ensure that research outputs deliver tangible benefits for forestry policies and development. He stated that BRIN is positioning itself as a provider of scientific data, policy briefs, and technological solutions to support evidence-based decision-making.
Arif explained that BRIN is currently developing early warning systems for forest fires, floods, and erosion by integrating meteorological, hydrological, and remote sensing data with machine learning models. He added that future cooperation would also include biodiversity conservation research, genetic conservation of wildlife, biobank development, and the utilization of BRIN’s genomics and life science research facilities.
He further noted that future forestry challenges will not only focus on environmental issues but also on strengthening human resource capacity, particularly in green skills such as conservation and wildlife management.
Through the MoU, BRIN and the Ministry of Forestry committed to ensuring that research collaboration goes beyond ceremonial cooperation and results in substantive partnerships that contribute to sustainable forest management and national development. (*)
