Environment Minister Invites Business World to Engage in Developing Biodiversity Credits

Environment Minister Moh Jumhur Hidayat has invited Indonesian business actors to get involved in biodiversity credits as part of an effort to gradually shift the paradigm towards economic activities that support environmental conservation. “So, the paradigm of developing and damaging the environment is something we are slowly shifting. Now, here is a concrete example. Building the economy, economic growth can also be achieved through environmental conservation,” said Minister Jumhur Hidayat, who also serves as Head of the Environmental Control Agency, at the Indonesia Biodiversity Business Forum in Jakarta on Thursday. The Environment Minister explained that this paradigm shift is not only visible in the rapid growth of carbon trading but also in the development of biodiversity credits. This instrument encourages species protection, ecosystem restoration, habitat quality improvement, and broadens participation from various parties in supporting Indonesia’s biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity credits are intended to provide added value in environmental conservation and species protection efforts through several approaches, including compensation schemes, offsets, and voluntary contributions. To this end, the Ministry of Environment invited the business community to delve deeper into the issue at the event, looking not only at developing carbon trading but also at these biodiversity credits. “Because I want, if possible, Indonesians to be the first to master, so to speak, the game in this environmental business. This does not mean we are closing ourselves off; we remain open to anyone in the international community, but we must not be left behind,” said Minister Jumhur Hidayat. Indonesia is currently developing its biodiversity credit scheme, with the government and national and international stakeholders discussing the policy direction, methodology, and governance needed to build a credible, high-integrity scheme that provides real benefits for both nature and society.