Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The National Forestry Symposium, the peak event of the International Forestry Students’ Symposium (IFSS) 2025, gathered more than 300 participants from 21 countries in Manggala Wanabakti Building, Jakarta on Tuesday (19/8/2025).
Bringing together representatives from government, private sector, NGOs, and aspiring global foresters, the forum highlighted Indonesia’s forestry sector under the theme “Green Heroes: Achieving Net Zero Emission for Sustainable Forestry.”
In Plenary Session II, discussed topic “Indonesia’s Forest Multibusiness: Youth-Driven Green Innovation for Integrating Forest Multibusiness,” government, corporate, and youth representatives underlined the importance of collaboration in shaping the future of Indonesia’s forestry sector.
Director General of Sustainable Forest Management at the Ministry of Forestry, Laksmi Wijayanti, emphasized that forest multibusiness schemes are central to balancing ecological, social, and economic functions.
“Relying only on timber undermines the broader potential of forests. Multibusiness models enable us to optimize forest resources while ensuring local community participation and reducing risks of tenure conflicts,” she said.
Laksmi noted that of 500 existing concessions, about 180 have already adopted the scheme, with a target of 100 percent adoption within the next six years
From the private sector, Trisia Megawati Kusuma Dewi, Head of Partnership and Engagement at APP Group, emphasized the importance of corporate partnerships with local communities.
According to her, the company’s sustainability commitment is in line with Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
Programs such as Desa Makmur Peduli Alam (DMPA) serve as concrete examples of community empowerment.
“We strive to empower communities while also strengthening forest management through enhanced two-way communication to build collaboration and synergy,” she explained.
“Our sustainability commitments align with Indonesia’s NDC. Through programs such as Desa Makmur Peduli Api, we aim to empower communities while strengthening forest management. But the real challenge lies in communication, how we convey and build trust with communities,” she explained
Representing youth, Putu Nuansa Putri Savita Uttari, IFSA alumni and WWF Singapore project coordinator, underlined that young people are key drivers in the net-zero transition. “There is no net zero without healthy forests and active youth.
Students and young professionals can start by engaging in local initiatives, building habits of sustainable living, and connecting grassroots projects to global platforms,” she said. She also encouraged consistent action in daily life, from waste reduction to supporting local conservation efforts
The session concluded with a shared vision that stronger coordination between government, corporations, and youth innovators will ensure Indonesia’s forestry sector contributes not only to global climate and biodiversity goals but also to sustainable livelihoods and job creation for the younger generation. ***
