Indonesia, FAO launch MERANTI project to modernize forest monitoring
Photo caption: Left to right - FAO Representative for Indonesia and Timor-Leste Rajendra Aryal, Director General of Forestry Planning at the Ministry of Forestry Ade Tri Ajikusumah, and Director of Forest Resource Inventory and Monitoring Agus Budi Santosa at the launch of the MERANTI project in Jakarta on Thursday (September 10, 2026). (ANTARA/HO-FAO)
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Forestry, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), launched the "Monitoring and Enhancement of Remote Sensing for National Forest Inventory" (MERANTI) project to modernize forest monitoring in Indonesia.
"Forestry data serves as the foundation for policy formulation, development planning, monitoring forest resource conditions, evaluating forest management, and preparing various national and international reports," Ade Tri Ajikusumah, Director General of Forestry Planning at the Ministry of Forestry, remarked in a statement on Friday.
According to him, the US$4.83 million project, supported by the Government of Norway, is expected to generate reliable and more accurate forest data in a shorter timeframe through the National Forest Inventory (IHN) 2.0 system.
Ajikusumah said MERANTI could extend coverage to previously hard-to-reach areas, such as coastal mangroves and community-managed forests.
Meanwhile, the IHN serves as the primary standard for collecting detailed field data, such as species composition, biomass, forest degradation, and soil conditions, that satellite imagery alone cannot capture.
Beyond supporting evidence-based climate policies, transparent and credible forest data can help Indonesia access more performance-based climate finance, accelerating sustainable and low-carbon development.
"MERANTI reflects our shared commitment to transparency, science-based decision-making, and effective climate action," the Advisor on Forests and Climate at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Jakarta, Esben Marcussen, stated.
Running from 2026 to 2028, the MERANTI project will support Indonesia in strengthening its forest monitoring system.
The FAO will assist with field data collection from at least 500 IHN clusters nationwide and combine the findings with satellite data for more comprehensive forest information.
The project will also provide technical support to strengthen government capacity in implementing IHN and analyzing forest data, including quality assurance and quality control measures.
The new IHN web portal will be linked to Indonesia’s National Forest Monitoring System (SIMONTANA) web application.
"Our contribution is centered on bringing international expertise and technical approaches, modernizing remote sensing and national monitoring systems, and strengthening Indonesia’s capacity through knowledge transfer," the FAO Representative in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Rajendra Aryal, conveyed.
