Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, held a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the French Agricultural Research for International Development (CIRAD), Elisabeth Claverie de Saint-Martin, in Jakarta on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, to advance bilateral cooperation in sustainable forestry.
The meeting followed up on the Declaration of Intent (DoI) on Sustainable Forestry signed by Indonesia and France on May 28, 2025, which outlines a shared commitment to sustainable forest management and long-term development.
Under the DoI, cooperation covers several key areas, including sustainable forest management and deforestation-free plantation development, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape restoration, forest monitoring and fire prevention, social forestry and community livelihoods, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and coordination in international forestry and climate forums.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni welcomed the continuation of technical collaboration between the Ministry of Forestry and CIRAD, stating that the cooperation aligns closely with the ministry’s mandate, particularly in conservation, social forestry, and climate change.
He identified the Social Forestry program as a strong entry point for joint initiatives. Currently, Indonesia has allocated 8.33 million hectares of forest areas under Social Forestry schemes, benefiting approximately 1.4 million permit holders and supporting the establishment of 16,754 Social Forestry Business Groups.
“I hope we can establish a joint working group, starting with Social Forestry and conservation,” the minister said.
Raja Juli Antoni emphasized that collaboration with research institutions such as CIRAD would enrich technical and methodological approaches through capacity building activities, workshops, and pilot-scale initiatives.
CIRAD CEO Elisabeth Claverie de Saint-Martin echoed the importance of Indonesia’s tropical forests, highlighting the value of agroforestry systems implemented under Social Forestry schemes. She noted that such systems support community livelihoods while maintaining forest integrity.
She pointed out that tropical forests in Indonesia, the Congo Basin, and the Amazon Basin hold significant scientific, ecological, and economic value, extending beyond conservation to include sustainable agricultural practices such as agroforestry.
Elisabeth cited cocoa as an example of a high-value agroforestry commodity that can grow under forest canopies while delivering strong economic returns. She also noted that CIRAD possesses extensive research resources related to climate change impacts on forest ecosystems.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Forestry, including the Directors General for Sustainable Forest Management, Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, and Social Forestry, as well as representatives from the French Embassy in Indonesia.
The Ministry of Forestry reaffirmed its commitment to fostering constructive, measurable, and sustainability-oriented international partnerships to support forest conservation and improve community welfare. (*)
