Ministry of Forestry and YKAN Sign MoU to Strengthen Sustainable Forest Management Transformation

The Ministry of Forestry and the Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen sustainable forest management in Indonesia through a science-based, multi-stakeholder collaboration approach. This cooperation is part of efforts to support the transformation of the forestry sector and achieve national climate targets, including the FOLU Net Sink 2030.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry, Mahfudz, emphasized that the forestry sector is currently facing complex challenges in aligning ecological protection as a life-supporting system with economic development efforts, which partly depend on forest resource utilization. According to him, these conditions require appropriate and integrated policy approaches. “The complexity of current forestry issues requires the support of various parties, including the government, business sectors, academics, and civil society organizations,” said Mahfudz.

Mahfudz added that the involvement of development partners such as YKAN in this collaboration will create space to leverage YKAN's networks, experience, and best practices from various regions and communities to strengthen future forestry development agendas.

The signing of this MoU is a continuation and reinforcement of the collaboration previously established, particularly between the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE) and YKAN during the 2021–2026 period, which focused on strengthening the functions of conservation areas and protecting biodiversity.

This cooperation focuses on several key areas, including developing and strengthening policies to protect life-supporting systems and preservation areas. This includes providing data, information, and scientific studies to inform decision-making. Additionally, this collaboration promotes strengthening biodiversity conservation functions in conservation areas and production forests, particularly in priority regions.

Both parties agreed to implement spatial approaches, such as Development by Design. This approach uses scientific data to improve planning in production forest areas and assist in the planning and evaluation of Regional Spatial Plans (RTRW). This ensures that forests vulnerable to human activity or environmental changes, as well as sensitive forest areas, receive priority protection.

The collaboration includes efforts to optimize landscape-based multi-forest enterprises in production forests, particularly in East Kalimantan, through the Bentala Kalimantan initiative. The initiative involves developing schemes that strengthen the governance of sustainable, low-emission production forests, as well as competitive incentive schemes for the environmental services these forests provide.

Furthermore, the cooperation strengthens efforts to prevent and control forest and land fires (karhutla) through risk-based approaches, including mapping vulnerable areas, strengthening support systems, and enhancing community capacities at the local level.

On the same occasion, YKAN Executive Director Herlina Hartanto reaffirmed YKAN’s commitment to continue supporting the government in promoting sustainable forestry management. “We believe that the growing challenges of forest management can only be addressed through multi-stakeholder collaboration based on science and data. This multi-stakeholder collaboration is key to ensuring forests remain sustainable, provide real benefits to local and indigenous communities, and support the achievement of the Ministry of Forestry’s strategic goals and Indonesia’s climate targets,” concluded Herlina.