KLHK Strengthens Collaboration To Encourage Business Actors To Build Social Forestry

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) invites business actors to be actively involved in helping the government to achieve the net zero emission target. As well as empowering the community in managing forestry.

Director General of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership (PSKL) KLHK Bambang Supriyanto said that business actors were already synergizing. Especially in the implementation of the Company's Performance Assessment Program in Environmental Management (PROPER) at social forestry locations.

This was conveyed by Bambang at the Interactive Dialogue Meeting of Social Forestry Business Partners in the Synergy of the Bali and Nusa Tenggara regions, Thursday, August 31, 2023. This event was also attended by many business actors, one of whom was PT Astra Internasional.

"If we work together, the sustainability is a benefit. This is very good if we follow the PROPER," said Bambang in his statement, Thursday, August 31.

According to Bambang, assistance to the community is in line with President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) policy in distributing Agrarian Reform. With this policy, it means trusting the public to care for their forests provided that there is assistance.

"So that the community group can preserve the forest and alleviate poverty. If the forest is good, the carbon increases, it can absorb emissions," explained Bambang.

To do that, Bambang continued, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry was not enough. So that through Presidential Decree No. 28 of 2023, the head of state ordered local governments and business actors to help the community increase capacity.

Bambang assured that cooperation with business actors also had a good impact on each company. Including nourishing the investment climate.

Social Forestry Carbon Project

Astra in supporting the achievement of national emission reduction targets by NDC Indonesia, and internally by the Aspiration of Sustainability of Astra 2030, is developing the Astra Social Forestry Carbon Project.

These efforts include the Tree Planting Program to offset remaining emissions in accordance with existing regulations or standards developed on an area of 1,439 hectares.

This project has spread in several areas. These include Garut, Sukabumi, Cianjur, Banyumas, Yogyakarta, Bogor, and Samosir.

This program adopts the concept of agrophorestry by combining tree planting programs and community empowerment to improve community welfare.