Ministry of Forestry designates Gunung Ciremai National Park as model for FOLU Net Sink 2030 integration

Kuningan, West Java (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Forestry projects national park areas as a strategic instrument in achieving the ambitious national target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the Indonesia FOLU Net Sink 2030 document.

The Head of the Gunung Ciremai National Park Agency (TNGC), Toni Anwar, explained that strengthening the function of conservation areas is currently being prioritised to support the national climate change mitigation targets, particularly in maintaining carbon stocks.

In this regard, Gunung Ciremai National Park has successfully restored its vegetation cover from an initial 50% to nearly 90%.

Toni emphasised that the success of restoration in Gunung Ciremai is proof that natural preservation areas make a significant contribution to Indonesia’s Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Through routine patrols and strict supervision, TNGC ensures that the carbon stocks stored in the forest remain protected from disturbances such as encroachment or fires.

In addition to the carbon absorption function, he continued, TNGC also serves as a national model in mitigating agrarian conflicts in forest areas through community profession transformation.

As many as 54 villages around the area, which were formerly land cultivators, are now redirected to become partners in natural tourism management as an effort to support the green economy.

“The preservation of the ecosystem is their main economic asset. This synergy is what we are promoting as a national model for community-based forest management,” he said.

He elaborated that in this way, 279 species of flora and dozens of fauna such as the Javan Eagle in Gunung Ciremai National Park can remain protected.

This effort is in line with the Ministry of Forestry’s target to reduce the national deforestation rate below the baseline of 0.31 million hectares per year.

The strengthening of the function of 57 national parks in Indonesia is expected to become the backbone in reducing emissions by 1.6 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030.

“Through active community involvement, we prove that biodiversity protection and emission target achievement can go hand in hand with community welfare,” said Toni.