This bilateral collaboration was marked by the signing of two cooperation documents between the Indonesian Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, and the Minister of Forestry of Korea (KFS), Park Eunsik, in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday.
"The signing of the cooperation agreement is part of the green diplomacy program of President Prabowo Subianto's state visit to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and the Republic of Korea, particularly in promoting strategic cooperation in the forestry sector," Antoni remarked in a statement.
The first document signed was the Framework Arrangement on Cooperation on Priority Programs in Forestry.
According to the minister, the document covers strategic cooperation between the two countries in supporting climate change mitigation efforts in the forestry sector, including sustainable forest management, mangrove and peatland rehabilitation, ecotourism development, social forestry, and strengthening forest carbon markets.
Furthermore, the second document is a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in Forest Fire Management and Post-Fire Recovery, which specifically encourages cooperation in forest fire prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.
"This includes the use of technology such as satellite-based monitoring and strengthening human resource capacity," Antoni added.
Meanwhile, Minister Park stated that the Ministry of Forestry is the most strategic partner for KFS.
He noted that the Korean forestry representative abroad is currently stationed only at the Republic of Korea Embassy in Jakarta, demonstrating Indonesia's importance to Korean forestry cooperation.
His office also announced plans to launch a forest fire monitoring satellite in September 2026, capable of real-time monitoring, including coverage of approximately 55 percent of Indonesia's territory.
Responding to this, Antoni believes this collaboration would provide significant benefits for Indonesia, particularly in improving preparedness for potential forest and land fires.
He saw this collaboration as crucial, especially in responding to the potential El Niño projected for June 2026.
The two countries also agreed to encourage the implementation of cooperation through various activities, including knowledge and technology exchange, joint project development, training and capacity building, and strengthening institutional networks through the Joint Consultation Committee mechanism.
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Translator: Arnidhya Nur Z, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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