According to a statement received here on Thursday, Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, accompanied by Deputy Minister Rohmat Marzuki, led a routine meeting with the Task Force for the Acceleration of Customary Forest Status Designation in Jakarta as part of efforts to achieve a target of 1.4 million hectares.
“The achievement of 174 customary forest units continues progress from 2025, when 162 units were designated with a total area of 354,608 hectares. In 2026, an additional 12 units covering 14,269 hectares have been designated from ongoing proposals,” said Task Force Head Soeryo Adiwibowo.
To accelerate the process, the government has strengthened policy and institutional frameworks, including Forestry Ministerial Decree No. 144 of 2025 on the task force and the 2025-2029 roadmap for customary forest designation.
Verification guidelines have also been established to ensure a more systematic and accountable process. The government is also facilitating regions in preparing legal recognition for Indigenous Law Communities (MHA), including 12 MHA units in North Lombok.
Minister Antoni also instructed the development of standardized methods and measurement tools for verifiers to speed up assessments.
The government has planned to issue 34 decrees covering 72,522 hectares to 11,363 households in Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali, and Papua.
However, challenges remain, including 123 proposals covering 2.5 million hectares across 21 provinces, as well as overlapping permits and the need for stronger legal certainty.
Therefore, Antoni asked the task force to prioritize Mutual Recognition, Co-Management, and Co-Benefit Sharing to address these issues.
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Translator: Prisca, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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