Korea Forest Service Selected as an 'Outstanding ODA Case' for Supporting Forest Management in Indonesia

The Korea Forest Service announced on the 21st that the forest management and utilization technology support project carried out in Indonesia was selected as an excellent case of the '2023 Official Development Assistance (ODA)' by the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

A view of the 'Lumpin Nursery' established locally in Indonesia as part of the official development assistance project in the forestry sector. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

Indonesia was the first country to sign a bilateral forest cooperation agreement with Korea (1987). Following the summit held in 2009, based on the mutual understanding of the need for forest technology support, the Korea-Indonesia Forest Cooperation Center was established in Jakarta in 2011.

Since then, regular high-level forest cooperation committee meetings have been held, and cooperative projects between the two countries have continued in areas such as forest recreation, wildfire prevention, and peatland restoration.

In particular, the forest management and utilization technology support project was recognized as an excellent ODA case this year for completing achievements such as the Rumpin nursery, Lombok Tunak forest recreation and ecotourism center, and Sentul ecological education model forest, which have been promoted since 2011 in the fields of seedling cultivation, forest recreation, and ecological education.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited and inspected the Rumpin nursery and subsequently announced a 'modern nursery development plan for tropical forest restoration.'

This is evaluated as a case where the dissemination of Korea's forest restoration technology led to policy development by the Indonesian central government, spreading advanced forest policies locally and demonstrating the sustainability of the project.

Lee Yong-kwon, Overseas Resources Officer at the Korea Forest Service, said, “We will strive to expand and promote ODA projects in the forest sector solidly to widely disseminate Korea’s excellent forest policies overseas. Also, based on forest sector projects, we will support summit and public diplomacy to contribute to Korea’s emergence as a global pivotal country.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.