TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia launches a province-wide forest and peatland conservation program, supported by the UN-REDD Programme and funded by the United Kingdom, which aims to realize Indonesia’s climate commitments and bolster sustainable forest management and livelihoods.
The initiative, “Growing Resilience through Emissions Reductions, Community Empowerment and Ecosystem Restoration for a Nurturing Future” (GREEN for Riau), will be implemented in the forest- and peatland-rich province of Riau on Indonesia’s vast Sumatra Island.
“This initiative aims to pilot international standards and strengthen the inclusion of private sector involvement,” Riau Governor H. Abdul Wahid said, as quoted from the press release received by Tempo on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
The GREEN for Riau initiative will build REDD+ readiness in the province by strengthening governance, transparency, technical capacity, and multi-stakeholder engagement. It will involve local communities in forest and peatland management, promote a green economy, and support equitable benefit sharing.
The initiative also aims to unlock Results-Based Payments (RBP) through inclusive planning, capacity building, and strong monitoring systems. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will provide technical assistance in this respect.
The GREEN for Riau launch comes as Indonesia accelerates efforts to meet its Enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (eNDCs) under the Paris Agreement, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 31.89 percent through national efforts and by 43.20 percent with international support by 2030.
The land-use and forestry sector is central to these targets, anchored by frameworks such as the FOLU Net Sink 2030 and the Safeguard Information System for REDD+.
British Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Matthew Downing said during the launch event that the project “marks further progress towards a deeper UK-Indonesia Strategic Partnership, which President Prabowo Subianto and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer agreed to pursue when they met in the UK last year.”
“I look forward to strengthening our relationship with Indonesia as we work together to create economic growth and a more livable planet for our peoples,” Downing added.
Riau, home to 4.9 million hectares of peatlands, holds one of Indonesia’s largest carbon stocks but has suffered extensive deforestation and degradation.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the province lost some 2.8 million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2020, largely due to agricultural expansion, illegal logging, and fires. These not only raise emissions but also cause health issues, disrupt local economies, increase exposure to disaster risks, damage sustainable, forest-dependent livelihoods and lead to land conflicts.
“Riau is the first province in Indonesia to adopt high-integrity global forest carbon market standards to access integrity-based results-based payments,” said Gita Sabharwal, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Indonesia. “This could serve as a model for other provinces and countries for green transition.”
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