Indonesia and Japan are enhancing their collaboration on forest-based carbon projects to bolster climate action and promote sustainable development. The initiative is being shaped through the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), aimed at producing high-quality carbon credits in line with international climate agreements.
During the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, Indonesia’s Deputy Forestry Minister Rohmat Marzuki and Japan’s Environment Deputy Minister Hiroshi Ono discussed the partnership’s potential. Indonesia has laid out a comprehensive strategy to rehabilitate 12 million hectares of degraded land and curb deforestation across 50 million hectares. Additionally, the plan seeks to integrate carbon projects with social forestry initiatives on 8.3 million hectares and further develop 1.4 million hectares of customary forests.
Both countries are also investigating the inclusion of peatlands and mangrove ecosystems in their carbon projects. Indonesia aims to attract Japanese investment and deliver dependable carbon credits while concurrently supporting environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods.
This partnership could significantly aid Japan in reaching its goal of securing carbon credits equivalent to 100 million tonnes of CO₂ by 2030. Simultaneously, it advances Indonesia’s objectives of ecosystem restoration and sustainable management.