Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has launched the Jaga Rimba Decision Support System (DSS) as a strategic step to reshape the ministry’s work culture through stronger digital transformation, data integration, and evidence-based policymaking in the forestry sector.
The system is expected to serve as a key instrument in establishing modern, transparent, and accountable forestry governance, while supporting more effective oversight of forest areas through cross-unit data integration and the use of geospatial information. This aligns with national development priorities outlined in the President and Vice President’s Asta Cita agenda for 2025–2029, particularly in strengthening government digital transformation, improving public service quality, and building more effective, transparent, and accountable governance.
“Jaga Rimba DSS is a simple idea, but I believe it carries historic urgency that will improve our performance,” Minister Raja Antoni said.
He recalled that when he first joined the Ministry of Forestry, he identified a need to improve coordination among work units across all Echelon I directorates and field-level technical implementation units (UPT). Through the simple concept behind the DSS, he said he hopes the ministry’s performance in forest management will continue to improve and help drive the realization of a One Map Policy for forestry.
“The way we work can no longer be sectoral. Directors general can no longer act like kings who only command their own technical units, they have to talk to one another,” he stressed.
Jaga Rimba DSS is not merely a new application, but part of a broader effort to transform forestry governance through system integration, strengthened transparency and accountability, and the use of data intelligence in decision-making. The system integrates various applications across the Ministry of Forestry’s directorates general, Thematic Geospatial Information (IGT), and a framework of Rules and Relations that underpins the understanding of links between forest area management, permits, and rights and obligations holders.
As the ministry overseeing more than 120 million hectares of forest area, the Ministry of Forestry faces complex challenges. The Jaga Rimba DSS is currently supported by 82 sets of Thematic Geospatial Information produced by 24 Echelon II work units, along with 123 Rules and Relations. This data integration enables comprehensive analysis to support decision-making, including monitoring the effectiveness of forest and land rehabilitation activities, a key pillar in reducing forestry sector emissions under the FOLU Net Sink 2030 program.
The system is also equipped with an Early Warning System that automatically issues notifications when it detects potential permit overlaps, overlapping applications, or emerging hotspots that could trigger forest and land fires, allowing for faster, more accurate, and data-driven mitigation and follow-up action.
“Everything is now integrated, all the maps, all the permits, God willing we’ll be able to monitor it all through a single application. My simple hope is that we can make things easier and more comfortable for outside parties doing business, make investment flows more measurable, and simplify our permitting timelines so they don’t become problems down the road. Even though this application isn’t perfect yet, our simple intention is that we can protect the forest, protect the wilderness, and protect our life as a nation,” Minister Raja Antoni said.
Echoing this, Deputy Chairman of House Commission IV, Panggah Susanto, who attended the launch, expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Forestry for the rollout of Jaga Rimba DSS.
Commission IV, which oversees forestry affairs, views the development of Jaga Rimba DSS as an appropriate and strategic step. The system is expected to integrate forestry data that has long been scattered across various work units, giving leadership a more complete picture for policymaking and decision-making.
As the ministry’s legislative partner, Commission IV considers strengthening data-based governance a non-negotiable need. Panggah also expressed hope that the development of Jaga Rimba DSS would not stop at today’s launch, saying the system needs continuous refinement through broader data integration as technology advances.
The launch took place at the Ministry of Forestry’s office and was attended by Deputy Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki, House Commission IV Deputy Chairman Panggah Susanto, and ministry officials. (*)
