Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Ministry of Forestry and the Ford Foundation discussed strategic measures to strengthen the management of customary forests following the designation of 1.4 million hectares for Indigenous communities. The meeting, held at the Manggala Wanabakti Building on Friday (14/11), reaffirmed both parties’ commitment to ensuring that customary forests are managed sustainably and equitably.
Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni stated that the government is formulating an optimal management model for customary forests while mapping out implementation challenges on the ground. “We will ensure the process runs collectively—from post-designation empowerment, clustering, to funding mechanisms—so everything is coordinated and offtakers are easy to identify,” he said.
During the meeting, the Minister outlined several key directives: accelerating the preparation of the Customary Forest Task Force’s requirements report, addressing post-designation empowerment programs under Social Forestry (PS), and following up on the resolution of rules and relations between concessions. He also emphasized the need to prepare dedicated personnel for the Customary Forest Acceleration Task Force to ensure effective implementation.
Director General of Social Forestry, Catur Endah Prasetiani, welcomed the directives and expressed readiness to prepare a roadmap and a more systematic verification instrument for customary forests. “This is a breakthrough. So far, the process stops at forest designation. The roadmap and verification instruments for customary forests are planned for launch in December 2025,” Catur stated.
The Ford Foundation, represented by Regional Director Alex Irwan, expressed its commitment to supporting Indigenous community empowerment programs. “We are exchanging ideas on how philanthropy can contribute to accelerating customary forest initiatives,” he said.
Through this collaboration, the Ministry of Forestry and the Ford Foundation aim to strengthen the governance of customary forests, reinforce the position of Indigenous communities as rightful holders, and establish a model of inclusive and sustainable forest management. (*)
