Forest land redistribution and its relevance to biodiversity conservation and climate change issues in Indonesia

AbstractIndonesia’s 120.5-million-hectare forest area shrinks due to deforestation, mainly community cultivation. Forest Land Redistribution (FLR) via programs like Social Forestry, TORA, KHDPK, Food Estate, and infrastructure development attempts to address this issue but conflicts with climate change and biodiversity goals. This review analyses the urgency of FLR for non-forestry and proposes balanced policy recommendations for economic development and environmental preservation. Implementing FLR in Indonesia is crucial for national programs like SF, TORA, FE, and infrastructure development, impacting biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. It should follow three key principles: regional strategies for sustainability, a mitigation hierarchy to prevent biodiversity damage, and enhancing biodiversity hotspots to connect fragmented forests, fostering wildlife movement and genetic diversity for resilient ecosystems.