indonesia-mangroves-planting

With more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world with an abundance of natural resources. However, shifts in land use across the country have led to considerable ecological and social consequences. As its forests, carbon-rich peat lands, and coastal areas are converted to agricultural fields, Indonesia has become the world’s sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases. This forest loss has direct impacts on biodiversity and economic prosperity; Indonesia’s rainforests—the world’s third largest—are home to more than 3,000 known species of animals, and 29,000 species of plants, with the livelihoods of 50-60 million people depending directly on these ecosystems. In addition, Indonesia also known as the second-biggest contributor to marine plastic debris worldwide.

The Indonesian government has made encouraging commitments in recent years. In its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, Indonesia commits to unconditionally reducing its emissions by almost a third (29 percent) against the 2030 business-as-usual (BAU) scenario or more (41 percent) provided that international assistance is available. The Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has also extended Presidential Instruction No.6/2013 on the moratorium on the issuance of new conversion permits for primary forest and peatlands as well as preparing a moratorium on the issuance of new permits for oil palm plantations and mining operations. However, the country still faces challenges protecting forests while also becoming energy- and food-secure. Indonesia also has targeted to reduce 70% of marine plastic debris by 2025 and become plastic pollution-free by 2040.

WRI Indonesia works with leaders in government, business and civil society to protect Indonesia’s environment while maintaining its economic potential, seeing tremendous opportunity to reform the country’s massive forestry and agriculture sectors. We provide data-driven analysis to support government, business, and civil society actions for effective and equitable land-use in Indonesia. We build web tools like our Global Forest Watch platform, which can help industries sustainably produce commodities like palm oil and wood pulp sustainably, allowing the country to increase agricultural production without further contributing to deforestation. We build a network and partnership within key stakeholders to achieve circular economy to reduce plastic pollution. WRI Indonesia also works with its partners to promote transparency and good governance as an inherent piece of sustainable development.