Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its leadership in sustainable forest management at the 21st ASEAN Working Group on Forest Management (AWG-FM) in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the Ministry of Forestry said on Wednesday.The ministry said Indonesia aims to strengthen the forestry sector as a pillar of national development while balancing economic growth, environmental protection, and community welfare through sustainable forest management.Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said ASEAN cooperation plays a vital role in protecting tropical forests, accelerating climate action, and creating sustainable economic opportunities for local communities.”Through ASEAN cooperation, Indonesia wants to strengthen regional collaboration to protect tropical forests, accelerate climate action, and deliver tangible economic benefits for communities,” Antoni said in a statement issued in Jakarta.At the meeting, Indonesia presented progress in sustainable forest management, including updated national forestry statistics, technology-based forest monitoring systems, nature-based solutions, expanded regional cooperation, and strategic recommendations to accelerate Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) across ASEAN.Head of the Indonesian delegation Ristianto Pribadi said the country's forestry transformation is designed to generate balanced economic, social, and environmental benefits through stronger governance and innovation.Indonesia has 123.9 million hectares of forest, including 67 million hectares of sustainably managed production forest supported by increasingly modern, transparent, and accountable governance.The government said strengthened national forest monitoring, digitalized forestry services, and the Timber Legality and Sustainability Verification System (SVLK+) have improved the competitiveness of Indonesian forest products in global markets.Indonesia also highlighted its Social Forestry Program, which has granted local communities management access to about 8.4 million hectares of forestland, benefiting more than 1.4 million households and supporting the establishment of over 16,600 Social Forestry Business Groups (KUPS).The delegation introduced Forestry Minister Regulation No. 6 of 2026 on procedures for implementing carbon economic value in the forestry sector, describing it as an important step toward strengthening a high-integrity forest carbon governance system.The regulation is expected to provide greater legal certainty for market participants while creating broader opportunities for green investment.Indonesia also reaffirmed its commitment to forest and land rehabilitation, ecosystem restoration, multipurpose forestry businesses, Food and Energy Crop Agroforestry (FAPE), and mangrove management as nature-based solutions to strengthen food security, energy resilience, and climate change mitigation.At the regional level, Indonesia called for stronger ASEAN cooperation through increased forestry investment, digital forest management, bioeconomy development, carbon trading, diversified forest products, and faster implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Sustainable Forest Management.