Jakarta, July 31, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesia and Australia have agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in the forestry sector, with a focus on promoting timber legality, sustainable forest-product trade and the protection of forest ecosystems, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry announced on Friday.
The agreement was discussed during bilateral meetings held on the sidelines of the 30th APEC Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade meeting in Shenzhen, China, earlier this week.
Krisdianto, a director at Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry, said both countries share a common commitment to ensuring that forest-product trade remains legal, sustainable and mutually beneficial.
He noted that enhanced cooperation would contribute to improving forest governance, strengthening mutual trust in internationally traded forest products and supporting transparent and accountable forest management.
Krisdianto said reaffirming the shared vision with Australia aligns with Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni’s directive to expand international partnerships aimed at promoting sustainable forest management.
“We hope this cooperation will benefit both countries and strengthen sustainable forest management and legal forest-product trade across the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Indonesia also reaffirmed its commitment to expanding partnerships that improve the legality and traceability of forest products, broaden market access for sustainably sourced commodities, support local communities and enhance forest conservation efforts.
During the meeting, the two sides reviewed ongoing collaboration under the Australia–Indonesia Working Group on Forestry and explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in sustainable forest management, forest protection, law enforcement, human resource development and engagement in multilateral forums.
The discussions also covered the potential to expand cooperation in the sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.
Indonesia highlighted its initiative to establish the World Mangrove Center as a global platform for scientific research, knowledge exchange, capacity building and international cooperation in mangrove conservation and sustainable ecosystem management, underscoring its commitment to strengthening regional and global environmental partnerships.
