Indonesia-UK partnership backs biodiversity finance, with Aceh as showcase
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- Indonesia and the UK have reaffirmed cooperation on sustainable nature finance, with Aceh positioned as a pilot province for scalable models.
- Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said conservation should be treated as a basis for long-term economic resilience, including through conservation within production landscapes.
- The partnership involves work on biodiversity-credit mechanisms, capacity building, and tackling environmental crime, aligned with Indonesia’s IBSAP 2025–2045 framework.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said Indonesia and the United Kingdom have stepped up cooperation on sustainable nature finance, with Aceh positioned as a pilot model.
In a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Thursday, Hanif said the partnership with the UK provides a vital platform to strengthen national capacity for biodiversity protection and the development of sustainable nature finance.
“Protecting nature is not an obstacle to development, but a foundation for the nation’s long-term economic resilience and prosperity,” Hanif said.
He made the remarks at an international forum in the UK titled “Building a Nature First Economy in Indonesia: Advancing Sustainable Nature Finance in Aceh and Beyond.”
Hanif pointed to the direction set by the Indonesian President, including efforts to transform parts of forest concession areas into conservation landscapes, a move he described as strategic to keep national development within environmental carrying capacity.
“The decision to strengthen conservation areas within production landscapes shows the state is present to ensure development runs in harmony with ecosystem and wildlife protection,” he said.
At the forum, the Peusangan Elephant Conservation Initiative (PECI) in Aceh was introduced as a tangible example of a living-landscape approach that combines protection of Sumatran elephant habitat, regenerative agroforestry, and community-based economic strengthening.
Aceh is seen as a model that could be replicated in other high-biodiversity regions across Indonesia.
As home to the world’s second-largest biodiversity, Indonesia views biodiversity as a strategic national asset and a pillar of long-term economic resilience.
Hanif said the Ministry of National Development Planning/National Development Planning Agency (PPN/Bappenas), together with KLH/BPLH, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and other ministries and agencies, has prepared the Indonesia Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (IBSAP) 2025–2045 as a framework to mainstream nature protection across sectors and mobilize sustainable financing.
Through partnerships with the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), The Royal Foundation, WWF, and the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits, Indonesia is strengthening national capacity to develop biodiversity-finance mechanisms, build capability for biodiversity credits, and combat environmental crime.
The collaboration, he said, is an important part of Indonesia’s strategy to bridge environmental protection with inclusive and sustainable development.
Indonesianpost.com | Antara