Indonesia\u2019s national climate strategy\u00a0aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. A key component of this strategy is for forests to absorb 140 million tonnes of CO\u2082 annually, equivalent to taking 30 million cars off the road.<\/p>\n
Riau\u2019s contribution to this goal is critical.<\/p>\n
The province has historically faced some of the highest rates of deforestation and land degradation,\u00a0largely due to peatland drainage, fires and rapid land-use conversion to agriculture.<\/p>\n
Launched earlier this year, the\u00a0Green for Riau initiative is transforming the implementation of forest-based climate solutions to these challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cEconomic and climate goals can very much co-exist,\u201d said\u00a0Abdul Wahid, Governor of Riau. \u201cThis is what our programme is about. We are proud to lead the way in showing that local action can deliver global results.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new initiative, a\u00a0collaboration between the Government of Indonesia, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP<\/a>) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO<\/a>), with support from the United Kingdom, is already finding local solutions to global problems.<\/p>\n Indonesia is home to vast tropical rainforests.<\/p>\n Local leadership is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals<\/a> (SDGs). While national governments pass legislation and set up the policy framework, implementing these policies\u00a0falls to local authorities who lead the transition to a green economy.<\/p>\n Nearly half of Riau\u2019s seven million residents live in rural areas, many of whom depend on forests for their livelihoods. The initiative supports these communities through sustainable agroforestry, eco-tourism and non-timber forest products, ensuring that conservation efforts go hand-in-hand with economic development.<\/p>\n \u201cBy aligning provincial action with national climate goals, Riau is showing how the Sustainable Development Goals can be realised from the ground up,\u201d said Gita Sabharwal, the UN Resident Coordinator for Indonesia, on her return from Riau last month. \u201cThis shows how local leadership can drive national and global impact.\u201d<\/p>\n At the heart of the transformation is the REDD+ mechanism, which stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.<\/p>\n The mechanism supports and rewards measurable emission reductions. Riau, with\u00a0nearly five million hectares of carbon-rich peatland is poised to become Indonesia\u2019s first province to access REDD+ finance.<\/p>\n The approach is also about marrying technology with consent and customary knowledge.\u00a0International organizations calculate carbon credits using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, satellite imagery, field verification and carbon forecasting models, in line with global REDD+ guidelines.<\/p>\n Beyond forest monitoring, AI can generate robust data needed to unlock climate finance, supporting emissions tracking, reporting verification and benefit sharing.<\/p>\n You cannot entirely depend on AI for environmental decision making; it needs to take into account traditional practices developed from observing nature for generations<\/p>\n But,\u00a0the effectiveness of these new technologies, particularly in environmental decision making, depends on the knowledge included as input.<\/p>\n To be transformative, AI systems must be designed to respect, integrate and learn from customary knowledge systems.<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot entirely depend on AI for environmental decision making,\u201d said\u00a0Datuk H. Marjohan Yusuf, Chairman of the Council of the Malay Customary Institute of Riau.<\/p>\n \u201cIt needs to take into account adat,<\/em> or local wisdom, traditional practices developed and learned from observing nature for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n During the launch of Green for Riau,\u00a0customary communities signed a joint declaration, aligning with national legal frameworks and policies that recognise and strengthen the rights and roles of customary communities in forest protection.<\/p>\n This commitment will guide the development of safeguards and the distribution of benefits in accordance with Indonesia\u2019s Social Safeguards Information System in compliance with national and international standards.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project is not only protecting forests; it is also empowering communities,\u201d said Marlene Nilsson, Deputy Director of UNEP in Asia-Pacific. \u201cRiau\u2019s leadership is a model for how to drive climate action while supporting livelihoods and biodiversity.\u201d<\/p>\n Green Riau is a joint effort with Indonesia, local leaders and UN agencies to protect forests and advance climate goals.<\/p>\n With UN support and community involvement, new schemes under REDD+ provide incentives to local populations to safeguard rather than exploit forests. This also strengthens land-use governance and sets up financial frameworks to attract both public and private investment into forests.\u00a0<\/p>\n The benefits go beyond carbon. Riau is home to iconic and endangered species such as the Sumatran orangutan,\u00a0tiger and elephant. Protecting these habitats safeguards biodiversity and enhances climate resilience.<\/p>\n The initiative is piloting REDD+ results-based payments at the provincial level, providing a scalable model for inclusive, high-integrity forest finance. This will be done through REDD\u2019s facilitation of mutual recognition arrangements between the government and international carbon crediting\u00a0programmes.<\/p>\n These efforts could unlock hundreds of millions of dollars annually in carbon finance and develop an investment pipeline, creating a sustainable funding stream for conservation and development.<\/p>\n \u201cRiau is becoming the first Indonesian province to adopt global standards for sustainable forest management,\u201d Ms. Sabharwal said. \u201cThis bold step will unlock high-integrity, results-based payments and demonstrates how global standards can translate into sustainable, inclusive growth.\u201d<\/p>\n At the 2025 REDD+ investment roundtable in London, global investors expressed strong interest in supporting\u00a0Riau\u2019s forest transition, Ms Nilsson said, providing an example for other jurisdictions in Indonesia and beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cThe interest from financers signals that climate solutions rooted in\u00a0local leadership and customary knowledge\u00a0are not only just, but viable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Indonesia\u2019s national climate strategy\u00a0aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. A key component of this strategy is for forests to absorb 140 million tonnes of CO\u2082 annually, equivalent to taking 30 million cars off the road. Riau\u2019s contribution to this goal is critical. The province has historically faced some of the highest rates of deforestation 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GLOBAL NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Indonesia\u2019s national climate strategy\u00a0aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. A key component of this strategy is for forests to absorb 140 million tonnes of CO\u2082 annually, equivalent to taking 30 million cars off the road. Riau\u2019s contribution to this goal is critical. The province has historically faced some of the highest rates of deforestation…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28700"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28702,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28700\/revisions\/28702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Local leadership is key<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Rewarding emission reductions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
AI meets generations of local wisdom<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Model for inclusive climate finance<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Forest transition could unlock millions<\/strong><\/h2>\n