RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Forestry, along with the European Union and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), boosted cooperation in managing conservation areas thru a field visit by the European Union Delegation to North Sulawesi on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. The visit served as a momentum to review the implementation of community-based conservation programs while also strengthening efforts to preserve biodiversity and improve the welfare of coastal communities.

The European Union delegation during the visit reviewed several program implementation locations, engaged in dialog with coastal communities, and directly observed the results of the collaboration built with the Government of Indonesia. This program is a collaboration between the European Union, the Ministry of Forestry thru the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE), KfW German Development Bank, and the WCS Indonesia Program.

The Secretary of the Directorate General of KSDAE, Nandang Prihadi, said that North Sulawesi has become one of the strategic areas in the collaborative management of conservation areas with WCS and development partners. According to him, the collaboration is part of efforts to strengthen marine biodiversity conservation while also supporting coastal communities.

"One of the cooperation locations is in North Sulawesi. This area has become one of the strategic regions in our partnership with WCS and development partners, which we will visit together over the next two days," Nandang said in a written statement, Friday, July 17, 2026.

He added that the Ministry of Forestry, together with WCS, is currently exploring the development of biodiversity credit and National Parks Bond, which refers to the best practices of Rhino Bond as one of the alternatives for sustainable conservation financing.

The cooperation program also encourages the strengthening of a conservation-based community economy. As many as 29 Community Surveillance Groups along with 19 coastal community groups are developing various business activities, ranging from processing fishery products to value-added products that contribute to increasing community income.

Thru the field visit, the Government of Indonesia, the European Union, and the implementing partners emphasized the importance of collaboration in maintaining conservation areas. The synergy between the government, communities, development institutions, the private sector, and international partners is expected to strengthen biodiversity conservation while simultaneously enhancing the welfare of coastal communities sustainably.