Indonesia and FAO launch $4.83 million MERANTI project to upgrade forest monitoring
Indonesia and the FAO have begun the MERANTI initiative, a US$4.83 million effort funded by Norway to improve forest data collection through the IHN 2.0 system.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry and the Food and Agriculture Organization have inaugurated the MERANTI programme, a US$4.83 million partnership supported by Norway that aims to modernize the country’s forest monitoring. The initiative will upgrade the National Forest Inventory to version 2.0, allowing faster, more reliable data collection, especially in remote coastal mangroves and community-managed forests. From 2026 through 2028, the FAO will help gather field data from at least 500 IHN clusters nationwide and integrate these measurements with satellite observations, enhancing information on species composition, biomass, degradation and soil conditions.
Technical support will include capacity-building for data analysis, quality assurance and linking the new IHN web portal to Indonesia’s existing National Forest Monitoring System (SIMONTANA). Project leaders stress that transparent, science-based forest data are essential for evidence-based climate policies and for accessing additional performance-based climate financing.
Why it matters
Accurate forest data will help Indonesia shape climate policy and attract more climate finance.
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