Bonn, Germany – September 9–12, 2025
The Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO), in collaboration with the National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS) of Republic of Korea, successfully disseminated the outcomes of its joint research at Tropentag 2025, one of the world’s leading interdisciplinary conferences on tropical and subtropical agriculture, natural resource management, and rural development.
Held under the theme “Reconciling Land System Changes with Planetary Health,” Tropentag 2025 brought together around 1,000 scientists, policymakers, and practitioners from across the globe. The event provided a platform for AFoCO and its partners to showcase innovative solutions that integrate ecological restoration, community livelihoods, and sustainable land use.
One of the featured contributions was the AFoCO/033/2022 Project – Community-Government Restoration, Recreation, and Livelihood in Batur UNESCO Global Geopark in Indonesia for Climate Resilience. This project, presented in the Science Policy Session on September 11, 2025, highlighted the joint AFoCO–NIFOS initiative with key Indonesian partners: the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Ministry of Forestry Indonesia, Universitas Udayana, and the Batur UNESCO Global Geopark Agency. Together, the project seeks to strengthen socio-ecological resilience in the geopark through collaborative research and action.
The results presented showed that the Batur Geopark faces significant challenges, including nutrient pollution in Lake Batur from agricultural runoff, unsustainable tourism practices, and climate vulnerability of traditional livelihoods. Using the Eco-Canvas Business Model and the values of Tri Hita Kirana, the research identified five strategic pathways: strengthening cross-sectoral coordination, implementing smart eco-friendly farming, enhancing capacity building, developing sustainable infrastructure, and enforcing land-use regulations. These strategies offer a roadmap for balancing economic development with conservation goals, positioning Batur as a model of sustainable geopark management.
The second project highlighted was the AFoCO/023/2021 Project – Innovative Solutions for Climate Change and Biodiversity. This project gained recognition through the Tropentag Photo Competition, where AFoCO won First Prize for Best Photo in the category Landscape Restoration with title “Bridging Monoculture to Diversity: Liberica Coffee Beneath Oil Palms”. The winning photo illustrated the jangka benah, or assisted transition approach in Kepau Jaya, Riau Province, Indonesia.
The photo captured the early stage of intercropping Liberica coffee under old oil palm trees to gradually transform monoculture plantations into diverse agroforestry systems. This method avoids large-scale land clearing that could release significant carbon emissions, while creating a careful and inclusive transition toward ecological recovery and sustainable livelihoods.
In her acceptance remarks, the project representative explained that Liberica coffee not only provides income for local farmers but also stabilizes peat soils, regulates microclimates, and enhances biodiversity. The photo symbolized both transition and hope, reflecting how collaboration between communities, science, and policy can turn degraded lands into resilient landscapes for future generations.
Through these contributions, AFoCO and its partners—BRIN, Universitas Udayana, and the Ministry of Forestry Indonesia—brought concrete examples of ongoing field projects into the global scientific dialogue. The combination of research dissemination and visual storytelling demonstrated AFoCO’s commitment to bridging science, practice, and policy in the pursuit of sustainable forest and landscape management. By engaging in Tropentag 2025, AFoCO reaffirmed its role as a regional platform that connects local innovations from Asia’s forests and landscapes with international sustainability agendas. The recognition received further underscores the importance of AFoCO’s collaborative projects in shaping resilient, climate-smart solutions for people and the planet.
Contributed by Ms. Husnul Khotimah, Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia