Indonesia has significantly reduced its deforestation rate in recent years, leading to a decline in carbon emissions. This was stated by Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya when she became a speaker at the Plenary Panel of the Oslo Tropical Forest Forum (OTFF) in Norway, Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
Minister Siti explained that a joint analysis conducted by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Global, the University of Maryland, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, facilitated by Norway, showed that the deforestation rate between 2022 and 2023 was only 0.13 million hectares per year.
“The review conducted by the World Resources Institute confirms that the deforestation rate in Indonesia, under the leadership of President Jokowi, is the lowest in history, surpassing other countries,” said Minister Siti.
On this occasion, Minister Siti also conveyed Indonesia’s emission reduction commitment through the achievement of the Indonesia NDC commitment.
Indonesia’s approach to managing natural resources and implementing climate action is systematic and integrated, covering 15 climate action groups summarized in the FOLU Net Sink 2030 Operational Plan.
“This plan is legally binding, not just a commitment on paper,” said Minister Siti.
Indonesia’s emission reduction reached 47.3% in 2020, 43.8% in 2021, and 41.6% in 2022 compared to the annual baseline, which is around the NDC target of 43.2% with international cooperation and far exceeds the national capacity target of 31.89%.
Since the signing of a new MoU in September 2022, the Norwegian government has provided results-based contributions of US$156 million to support FOLU Net Sink 2030 in Indonesia.
Minister Siti said that this reflects Indonesia’s achievements in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
“However, most of the financing needed to meet the FOLU Net Sink 2030 target still comes from the state budget,” she said.
Furthermore, Minister Siti said that Indonesia managed to control forest fires during the recent prolonged El Nino period. Thus, ensuring that the FOLU Net Sink 2030 climate target remains on track.
Another important thing conveyed by Minister Siti at the forum was that under the Jokowi administration, the area that has been legally shared with local and indigenous communities through the social forestry agenda has increased 18 times compared to the previous government, and is projected to exceed 20 times by the end of October.
In closing, Minister Siti expressed her gratitude to the Norwegian Government, for its productive partnership with Indonesia, as well as international partners who have motivated Indonesia in its efforts to preserve the environment and sustainable forestry.
The OTFF, organized by the Norwegian Government, invited a number of ministerial-level leaders, public officials, multilateral institutions, indigenous peoples, and the private sector. ***
