FoLU Net Sink Structure Not Filled by Competent Persons, Implementation of Emission Reduction Could Be Hampered

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The organizational structure of the net carbon absorption policy in the forestry and land use sector, or FoLU Net Sink 2030, within the Ministry of Forestry has come under public scrutiny. This is because a significant portion of the organizational structure is filled with individuals from political parties.

As is known, the Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, is a politician from the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI). The public on social media has highlighted the Minister of Forestry's Decree Number 32 of 2025 regarding the organizational structure of the Operation Management Office (OMO) FoLU Net Sink 2030, which includes at least more than 10 individuals from PSI.

In addition to the organizational structure and duties, the decree (SK) also specifies the details of monthly remuneration for each position, ranging from the person in charge/director to the secretariat staff in various fields, with amounts between Rp 8 million and Rp 50 million.

Responding to the circulation of the copy of the decision letter, Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, through his official statement, declared that the document circulating among the public is accurate and authentically issued by the Ministry of Forestry. The decision letter is a public document that can be accessed by the community.

According to Antoni, the latest revision of the OMO FoLU Net Sink structure for 2025 includes improvements and refinements from the previous OMO. This organizational structure consists of civil servants (ASN), former civil servants, and external parties who can assist the Ministry in achieving the Indonesia FoLU Net Sink 2030 target.

"The funding for OMO activities, which was newly established based on Decree Number 32 of 2025, is the same as the funding for previous OMO activities, namely financing from donors and/or partner countries. I assure you that the funding does not come from the State Budget (APBN)," he said.

Achieving the FoLU Net Sink 2030 requires efforts to mobilize, coordinate, and manage all resources, including public, private, and international community resources. In other words, funding for this program can come from external parties or partners.

In the Decree of the Minister of Forestry 32/2025 it is also explained that all costs in the operational implementation of the OMO FoLU Net Sink 2030 are charged to the budget from the partnership with the Norwegian government through the Environmental Fund Management Agency (BPDLH) or other legitimate and non-binding sources of funds.

In simple terms, FoLU Net Sink 2030 is a program with a target of carbon emission absorption conditions from the forestry sector and land use to be balanced or higher than the emissions released in 2030. This program is also one of Indonesia's commitments to reducing emissions while realizing sustainable forest management.

Financing of the activities of the newly formed OMO based on Decree Number 32 of 2025, is the same as the financing of previous OMO activities, namely funding from donors and/or partner countries.

FoLU Net Sink was initiated during the administration of President Joko Widodo with the Minister of Environment and Forestry at that time, Siti Nurbaya Bakar. This program is stated in Presidential Regulation Number 98 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of Carbon Economic Value for Achieving the National Contribution Target (NDC).

Hindering implementation

Walhi National Forest and Garden Campaign Manager Uli Arta Siagian views the organizational structure, which is mostly filled with people from political parties who do not have knowledge and experience in the context of forestry, as ultimately it will also have an impact on the achievement of the 2030 FoLU Net Sink.

"This condition will hamper the implementation of FoLU Net Sink or even fail and not achieve the goal as one of the NDC achievement strategies for climate change mitigation actions. We suspect that people who enter this structure have other interests such as business in the carbon sector," he said.

Indonesia's commitment through FoLU Net Sink 2030 encourages the achievement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels of minus 140 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) by 2030. The FoLU sector has a major role in efforts to achieve the national Net Zero Emission (NZE) target, from a net emitter to a net absorber of GHG.

FoLU Net Sink has activities such as reducing the rate of deforestation and land degradation as well as mineral forests, peat, and mangroves. There are also activities for sustainable forest management, rehabilitation, peat restoration, biodiversity conservation, social forestry, and consolidation of customary forests.

Given its significant role, Uli emphasized that the structure of the FoLU Net Sink must be filled by competent people who have a deep understanding of climate change mitigation efforts in the forestry and land use sectors.