Forestry Minister Affirms Governance Transformation Through System Integration

Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has reinforced efforts to strengthen and transform forestry governance through system integration, enhanced transparency and accountability, and the use of data intelligence in decision-making. “My simple hope is that we can provide external parties with an easier and more comfortable way of doing business, more measurable incoming investment, and simplified permit timelines so that problems do not arise later,” the minister said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday. One of the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Forestry is the digital system called the Forestry Decision Support System (DSS) ‘Jaga Rimba’. The minister stated that this digital system is intended to strengthen the monitoring of Indonesia’s forest areas, which he believes face increasingly complex challenges. “The idea behind DSS is actually simple. My experience over the past few weeks and months in this ministry we are proud of is that there are things we need to fix, things we need to improve,” said Minister Raja Juli Antoni. He explained that DSS Jaga Rimba integrates various applications across directorates general, thematic geospatial information, and regulations that form the basis for understanding the interconnections between areas, permits, and rights and obligations holders. “So the idea is simple, but I believe it has historical urgency to improve our performance. It is not just an application; we are trying to fix our way of thinking. We must no longer have sectoral egos,” he said. Minister Raja Antoni noted that DSS Jaga Rimba is an important instrument in promoting the realisation of the ‘One Map Policy’ for forestry, a unified reference for the management and supervision of forest areas. Currently, the system is supported by 82 thematic geospatial information layers produced by 24 echelon II work units and 123 rules and relations that enable more comprehensive and accurate data analysis. Additionally, DSS Jaga Rimba is equipped with an Early Warning System feature that can automatically send notifications if potential permit overlaps, application intersections, or hotspots that could trigger forest and land fires are detected. This feature is expected to accelerate data-based mitigation and follow-up actions. “Although this application is not yet perfect, our simple intention is to be able to protect the forests, protect the jungle, and at the same time protect our lives as a nation,” said Raja Antoni.