Jakarta. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has announced plans to reforest 12 million hectares of land in Indonesia that was damaged by massive fires in the 1990s and 2016.

"Next week, I will convene the relevant directors-general to develop a roadmap and strategic plan. The private sector and academics will also play a role in shaping this plan," he said on Thursday.

The program aims to restore the damaged forest ecosystem by replanting green areas with hardwoods and fruit-bearing plants.

"I am very optimistic. With the spirit of solidarity and cooperation from all parties, as directed by President Prabowo through special envoys, we can re-green Indonesia’s deforested forests," he added.

Earlier, President Prabowo Subianto’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, emphasized the goal of replanting 12.7 million hectares of damaged forest across the country.

Hashim pointed to successful reforestation projects, such as Semboja Lestari, which transformed grassland into a 1,000-hectare green area.

"Evidence of successful reforestation can already be shown to the world at Semboja Lestari, about an hour's drive north of Balikpapan. There, 1,000 hectares of land were fully restored from grassland," he said during his appearance at the Indonesia Pavilion at COP-29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 11.

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