Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry is exploring cooperation with Madagascar in developing forest carbon financing, community-based natural resource management, and strengthening climate resilience. Potential areas of cooperation were discussed during a bilateral meeting at the Indonesia Pavilion at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31 UNFCCC) in Antalya, Türkiye, on Saturday (November 14).
The Indonesian delegation was led by Laksmi Wijayanti, Director General of Sustainable Forest Management at the Ministry of Forestry, accompanied by Haruni Krisnawati, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Forestry for Climate Change, and Ristianto Pribadi, Head of the Bureau of Public Relations and International Cooperation. Madagascar was represented by Vahatriniaina Rakotosolomalala, who handles environmental risk management and programme safeguards (Gestion des Risques Environnementaux et Sécurisation de Programme).
During the meeting, the Madagascar delegation expressed interest in learning from Indonesia’s experience in developing carbon financing and community-based natural resource management. This interest is linked to the implementation of a programme to strengthen community resilience in three regions of southern Madagascar, covering 235 communes, or local administrative areas.
These regions have developed local development plans that integrate climate change considerations but still require financial support for implementation. Therefore, Indonesia’s experience in linking forest management, community empowerment, and access to funding was a key focus of the knowledge exchange during the meeting.
The Ministry of Forestry explained that forest carbon development in Indonesia is part of a sustainable landscape management framework. Carbon activities need to be integrated with forest rehabilitation, agroforestry, forest product utilization, and the development of alternative livelihoods for communities. Strengthening Social Forestry, protecting the rights of Indigenous communities, and ensuring fair benefit-sharing are also essential components of this approach.
Indonesia also shared its experience in developing payments and results-based contributions for emissions reductions, strengthening forest monitoring systems, and implementing environmental and social safeguards. This experience highlights the importance of institutional readiness, credible measurement and verification systems, and sound fund distribution governance to ensure that carbon financing delivers tangible benefits to communities on the ground.
In addition to carbon financing, the two sides discussed the challenges climate change poses to community resilience, particularly the impacts of El Niño, which increases the risks of drought and forest fires. Indonesia emphasized the importance of early warning systems, community-based fire prevention, and the development of agricultural practices and alternative livelihoods that can reduce dependence on the use of fire.
The meeting also opened opportunities for technical cooperation to strengthen institutional capacity and community-based programme management. Indonesia and Madagascar share an interest in ensuring that forest protection and climate action not only deliver environmental benefits but also improve the economic and social resilience of local communities.
As a follow-up, Indonesia proposed exploring cooperation through the framework of South-South Cooperation, including the possibility of preparing a Letter of Intent (LoI) or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The two sides also discussed the possibility of organizing a technical workshop to deepen the exchange of experience on community-based carbon projects, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and access to financing.
Through this bilateral meeting, the Ministry of Forestry hopes to expand collaboration with developing countries in sustainable forest management and climate financing. The exchange of experience between Indonesia and Madagascar is expected to serve as an initial step towards building cooperation that supports ecosystem protection, community resilience, and sustainable development benefits. (*)
