"We have a forest (coverage) database using the Simontana, or the National Forest Monitoring System, which is quite detailed," Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar noted in the ministry’s statement here on Friday.
The EUDR passed by the European Union Parliament on May 31, 2023, will include cattle commodities, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybeans, and wood, including derivative products, comprising leather, chocolate, and furniture.
With the regulation, these commodities must pass due diligence to ensure they do not come from forest degradation or deforestation land.
The percentage of products that must pass due diligence depends on the risk assessment of the country of origin, and it can be low, medium, or high risk.
The EU also published the European Union Forest Observatory (EUFO) in December 2023. The final version of the EUFO map will be released in December 2024.
"From now on until the end of this year, it is important to correct the EUFO map, so that Indonesia's country risk assessment claim can be in the low category, and the origin of commodities will not be included in the category of deforestation and land degradation areas," Bakar remarked.
During the focus group discussion titled "Deepening Sectoral Legality and Sustainability in Forest Areas in the Context of Deforestation-Free Supply Chain," Minister Bakar emphasized the importance of utilizing positive data and real facts about Indonesian forests to deal with deforestation issues at the global level.
She said the ministry also corrected deforestation data released by the World Resources Institute (WRI), so the institution finally recognized Indonesia's success in reducing the rate of deforestation.
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Translator: Subagyo, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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