Forestry Minister: Carbon trading strengthens forest protection

Jakarta - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said carbon trading can strengthen forest protection as well as the welfare of communities living around forest areas. Raja Antoni said the implementation of carbon trading has begun after the Ministry of Forestry issued permits to four holders of forest utilisation business approvals, namely through three concession holders and one social forestry permit holder. He stressed that the Ministry of Forestry will continue to expand the implementation of carbon trading so that its benefits can be felt more widely, both by business actors and forest-managing communities. The minister said carbon trading in the forestry sector, which had been merely a discourse for years, is now being realised. He noted that the acceleration of this implementation was inseparable from the support of President Prabowo Subianto. This move is part of the acceleration of green economy development driven by the government under President Prabowo Subianto’s leadership, he said. The government has officially launched the Carbon Unit Registry System, with the Ministry of Forestry becoming the first ministry to implement carbon trading. This follows the issuance of a ministerial approval regarding the issuance of carbon units through the Non-Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Certificate scheme on Monday.