Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The Governments of Indonesia and Germany have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of forestry, conservation, and environmental financing. The agreement emerged during a meeting between the Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni and Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in Jakarta, on Friday (October 31).
During the warm and constructive meeting, Minister Raja Antoni—accompanied by Deputy Minister of Forestry Rohmat Marzuki—emphasized that Indonesia’s tropical forests play an important role not only for national development but also for global climate stability.
“We are committed to protecting forests through strong policies and international cooperation, including with Germany,” said Raja Antoni.
Both parties discussed three main focuses of future cooperation, namely the development of collaborative conservation areas involving communities and the private sector. In addition, innovation in conservation financing, including biodiversity credits and public–private partnerships in the Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape, Jambi. Thirdly, the Reconnect Borneo Initiative, which emphasizes cross-border conservation between Kalimantan, Sabah, and Sarawak.
Raja Antoni also highlighted the success of the Social Forestry Program, which has granted community management rights to more than 8.3 million hectares of forest— including 1.4 million hectares of customary forests.
“This program not only protects forests but also improves the welfare of surrounding communities,” he said.
Appreciation came from the German side. Bärbel Kofler praised Indonesia’s efforts in involving Indigenous communities in forest preservation.
“We saw firsthand in Kalimantan how communities play a major role in protecting forests. Indonesia serves as an important example in achieving global emission reduction targets,” she said.
Concluding the meeting, Minister Raja Antoni reaffirmed the government’s commitment to rehabilitate 10 million hectares of forest and land, while opening opportunities for green investment through the Carbon Economic Value (NEK) policy.
“The Indonesia–Germany partnership is a real manifestation of working together to protect the Earth and improve people’s welfare,” he concluded. (*)
