The Indonesian Government through the Ministry of Forestry Holds a National Workshop

Viralterkini.id, Jakarta – The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Forestry held a National Workshop entitled “Joint Movement to Accelerate the Determination of 1.4 Million Hectares of Resilient and Sustainable Customary Forests”. This activity will take place on 17–18 December 2025 at the Aryaduta Menteng Hotel, Jakarta.

The workshop was a concrete follow-up to the global climate commitments conveyed by Indonesia at COP30 in Belem, Brazil. This forum emphasizes the position of customary forests as an important part of the national climate change mitigation strategy.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni emphasized the need for fundamental changes in the way of thinking and governance of Indonesia’s forests. He said the old approach was no longer comparable to the current challenges of protecting forest areas.

“Protecting forests using old methods but hoping for different results is a fundamental mistake,” said Raja Juli Antoni.

He emphasized that a wisely managed forestry sector must be a national development priority.

According to the Minister of Forestry, this paradigm change must be accompanied by the presence of the state. The state is deemed to need to protect Indigenous Forest Communities (MHA) without ignoring their customs and culture.

“Present State” is said to be important so that indigenous communities are able to face various development demands. According to him, the pillars that support the life of traditional communities must be maintained.

Raja Juli Antoni also touched on the President’s direction regarding the acceleration of recognition of traditional territories. This direction was conveyed at the COP30 forum.

“The President gave directions to accelerate the recognition of 1.4 million hectares of customary law community territory as well as evaluation of forestry governance,” he said. This step is part of the national target to be achieved.

To support this acceleration, the Ministry of Forestry formed a Task Force for the Acceleration of Establishing Customary Forests through Decree Number 144 of 2025. This Task Force prioritizes the principles of inclusion and cross-sector collaboration.

“The results of empirical studies show that community-managed forests are able to reduce deforestation rates by 30-50%,” said the Minister of Forestry.

He considers the role of indigenous communities to be very important in disaster mitigation and regional resilience.

The task force targets establishing customary forests covering an area of ​​1.4 million hectares in the 2025–2029 period. This target is part of the national strategic agenda for the forestry sector.

To date, the government has recognized customary forests belonging to 169 Customary Law Communities. The total area reaches around 366,955 hectares and benefits more than 88,461 families.

On this occasion, the Minister of Forestry together with the Director General of Social Forestry Catur Endah Prasetiani handed over a Decree Determining the Status of Customary Forests. The decree was given to the Dayak Punan Uheng Kereho Traditional Law Community covering an area of ​​30,700 hectares in Kapuas Hulu Regency, West Kalimantan.

Apart from that, the Director General of Social Forestry also handed over a Guidebook for Candidates for Customary Forest Verifiers to the Minister of Forestry. This guideline is a follow-up to the road map for accelerating the establishment of customary forests.

“In the future, a joint commitment from all stakeholders is needed to ensure that implementation runs correctly, well and as quickly as possible,” said Raja Juli Antoni.

He emphasized that the Ministry of Forestry is wide open to collaboration with various parties. (ma)