Indonesia’s carbon market grows, forestry ministry highlights need for skilled workers

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry says the credibility of the country’s growing carbon market will depend not only on regulations, but also on the people who apply them.

Edo Mahendra, a senior adviser to the forestry minister, said stronger human-resource capacity must accompany improvements to the national regulatory framework. The aim, he said, is to ensure that forestry carbon trading creates economic value while also delivering benefits for the climate, forests and communities.

“Regulations provide the foundation for governance, but market integrity is largely determined by the quality of the people who implement them. We need professionals who not only understand the regulations, but can also manage carbon data, MRV, safeguards, project integrity and market mechanisms,” Edo said.

The framework includes Presidential Regulation No. 110 of 2025, which took effect on October 10, 2025, replacing a 2021 regulation. It covers carbon allocation, national contribution targets, economic instruments for carbon, transparency, monitoring and evaluation. Forestry Ministry Regulation No. 6 of 2026, effective April 13, 2026, sets procedures for trading carbon through greenhouse-gas emissions offsets in the forestry sector.

The ministry said carbon trading involves more than matching buyers and sellers. Before an emissions reduction can become a tradable asset, it must undergo measurement, reporting and verification to establish that the reduction occurred and can be quantified. Errors in data collection, baseline calculations or verification could undermine the credibility of issued carbon units, affecting confidence among buyers and investors. Safeguards also matter because a carbon project must do more than produce an emissions figure.

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Regulations provide the foundation for governance, but market integrity is largely determined by the quality of the people who implement them. We need professionals who not only understand the regulations, but can also manage carbon data, MRV, safeguards, project integrity and market mechanisms.