Indonesia, Japan advance forestry, carbon and Komodo dragon cooperation

Labuan Bajo — Indonesia and Japan are moving to deepen cooperation on tropical forestry, carbon investment, mangrove management and wildlife conservation, anchored in a series of agreements and meetings in late March 2026, but without any disclosed project values or specific investment pipelines.

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry has highlighted its drive to strengthen strategic cooperation with Japan on climate change mitigation, land rehabilitation and the management of conservation areas to international standards, according to an official statement and domestic media reports. The discussions have involved the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), with a focus on tropical forests and mangrove ecosystems.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has encouraged Japanese private-sector participation in Indonesia’s voluntary carbon market, especially through afforestation and reforestation projects, including in national parks, according to an English-language report by Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI). He has linked these opportunities to Indonesia’s carbon economic value framework and the voluntary carbon market that followed the issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 110 of 2025 on the Carbon Economic Value (Nilai Ekonomi Karbon, NEK) and national greenhouse gas control.

During a bilateral meeting in Tokyo on 31 March 2026, Antoni and MAFF Minister Suzuki Norikazu discussed sustainable mangrove management and support for forestry-sector climate initiatives. According to RRI, MAFF plans to deploy two experts to Indonesia in April 2026 to support JICA projects on sustainable mangrove management. The same report notes that MAFF is seeking Indonesia’s backing to expand the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) in the forestry sector as part of the two countries’ climate mitigation efforts.

Carbon and mangrove initiatives

The Forestry Ministry has framed JICA cooperation and the mangrove agenda as a platform for broader innovation rather than a list of completed, funded projects. Official material describes the proposed World Mangrove Center as an international hub for rehabilitation, research, education and innovation in mangrove ecosystem management, aimed at becoming a global reference for nature‑based climate mitigation and adaptation.

Reports on the March 2026 meetings do not specify individual project locations, total investment values or named private-sector partners. Instead, they outline potential participation by Japanese companies in carbon-related activities across Indonesia’s forest and conservation areas, subject to future technical agreements and market development.

For readers focused on Komodo National Park and Labuan Bajo, these forestry and carbon discussions remain national in scope. The available March 2026 coverage does not announce a new carbon, mangrove or forestry project specifically located in Komodo National Park or Labuan Bajo.

Komodo dragon breeding-loan cooperation

Separate from the forestry and mangrove agenda, Indonesia and Japan have formalized cooperation on wildlife conservation through a Komodo dragon breeding-loan program with Shizuoka Prefecture. A memorandum of understanding on wildlife protection and conservation, focusing on a Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) breeding-loan scheme, was signed by Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni and Shizuoka Governor Yasutomo Suzuki on 28 March 2026 in Shizuoka.

Under this arrangement, Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia will lend a pair of Komodo dragons to iZoo in Kawazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, for ex‑situ breeding and conservation. In return, iZoo will provide Surabaya Zoo with species including Aldabra giant tortoises, Japanese macaques, giraffes and red pandas, according to RRI and Japanese media.

A Reuters report and The Japan Times have separately confirmed that a male and female Komodo dragon will be sent to a zoo in Shizuoka under a breeding program designed to support conservation of the endangered species.

Indonesian authorities say the licensing process for lending the Komodo dragons is underway, in line with national regulations, and that CITES certification has already been issued in Japan for some animals being sent to Surabaya Zoo. The breeding-loan program has been presented as a contribution to wildlife protection, conservation and public awareness of biodiversity, and in Japan it has also drawn scrutiny from animal rights advocates.

There is no indication in current official statements or media reports that Komodo dragons will be moved from Komodo National Park for this program, nor that the breeding-loan arrangement involves new facilities or projects in Labuan Bajo. The cooperation described to date links national‑level institutions and Surabaya Zoo with Shizuoka Prefecture and iZoo, while keeping Komodo National Park’s role unchanged.

Sources

• RRI (English) – Indonesia and Japan deepen cooperation on tropical forests and carbon investment
• Indonesian Forestry Ministry – Kemenhut-JICA Setuju Perkuat Kerjasama Indonesia-Jepang di Sektor Kehutanan
• IDN Times – Indonesia-Jepang Sepakat Kerja Sama di Sektor Kehutanan
• Reuters – Indonesia to loan endangered Komodo dragons to Japan for breeding programme, ministry says
• The Japan Times – Indonesia to loan endangered Komodo dragons to Japan for breeding program