Boston, Oct. 7, 2026 – In a major milestone for tropical rainforests, the Indonesian government will shift food and energy production to degraded lands and protect tropical forests.
Government officials announced the move Tuesday at the Indonesia Sustainability Forum in Jakarta, where President Prabowo’s Special Envoys Pak Hashim Djojohadikusumo and Ibu Mari Pangestu shared the progress made on food and energy self-sufficiency. They said that remaining cultivation can be moved to degraded lands, protecting an area of forests and wild lands roughly the size of Belgium.
The move halts what was deemed the largest deforestation project in the world and, potentially, will unlock greater global investment in Indonesia, where Green Century has worked to protect tropical rainforests since 2014. It will also advance President Prabowo’s pledge to restore 12 million hectares of land throughout Indonesia, which is home to 10-15% of global biodiversity.
“We applaud the Government of Indonesia’s decision to shift food and energy production to degraded lands,” said Leslie Samuelrich, President of Green Century. “This move will help build investor confidence in Indonesia’s ability and commitment to protect its significant natural capital.”
Annie Sanders, Green Century’s Director of Shareholder Advocacy, organized two investor trips this year, representing $10 trillion in assets, to Jakarta, to discuss nature and climate-related risks and opportunities with Indonesian government officials and stakeholders.
“We commend Indonesia’s leadership on this visionary policy change that has global implications,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to facilitate investors’ support of Indonesia’s commitments to protect its tropical forests and incredible biodiversity.”
Read more here:
https://www.greencentury.com/worlds-largest-deforestation-project-canceled-in-a-big-win-for-nature/