Deforestation

The official forest area defined by Indonesian law is said to have decreased from 134 million hectares in 2008 to 120 million hectares in 2018. However, the actual forest area is much smaller than the forest area defined by law, and even within the forest area, there are many areas where forests have been lost. Deforestation has increased significantly in the 1990s, decreasing from 119 million hectares to 110 million hectares between 1990 and 2000. Since then, the rate of decline has slowed to 97 million hectares in 2008, 93 million hectares in 2018, and 92 million hectares in 2020, but deforestation and forest degradation still continues (FAO).

Issues in Artificial Forest Resource Management and Utilization

The use of forest resources in Indonesia is shifting from the use of large-diameter timber of natural primary forests to the use of resources from artificial forests and secondary forests. Most of the responsibility for creating artificial forests is carried out by social forestry by local residents, but with the exception of high-quality materials such as teak, their utilization rate is low. Even when it is used, it is limited to low value-added uses such as for pulp and chips or for scaffolding logs of small-diameter trees. Therefore, it is important to stimulate demand for lumber (building materials) from now on.

1. Indonesia’s artificial forest resources are increasing, but they have disadvantages such as trees are young, many have small diameters, and the materials and grades are not uniform. Technical assistance is needed to strengthen and add durability.
2. Infrastructure for wood processing is in place, but most of the products are shipped for export.

Challenges in Architecture

Traditionally, various wooden buildings existed, but since the 1980s, there has been a shift to reinforced concrete (RC) construction, brick construction, and a construction method called Confined Masonry. Nowadays, wooden buildings are rarely seen in Indonesia, including rural areas, and the demand of lumber for building purposes is small. Although there are earthquake resistance standards for buildings constructed using RC and other methods, there are also issues of governance violations, such as the lack of thorough enforcement of these standards. The current situation is that every time there are multiple earthquakes, there are victims due to collapsed buildings. The field survey revealed the following issues.

1. Although national earthquake and fire resistance standards already exist, they are not strictly adhered to, and houses, etc. are still collapsing due to earthquakes.
2. Some efforts are being made to develop earthquake-resistant housing designs. Designs for earthquake-resistant housing in wood construction have been offered by the government, but have not been implemented. It shows challenges in technology, cost, and implementation process.
3. There is a “belief” among people that they do not like wooden structures and that they must be made of concrete. Earthquake damage surveys have shown that lightweight wooden houses were less likely to collapse, but there is a strong perception that wooden houses are homes for the poor. Even in the recovery from the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake, wooden houses have hardly been introduced. Many of the damaged houses have been rebuilt with RC structures, but their earthquake resistance remains inadequate.
4. Cost: General construction is said to be about one-tenth the cost of construction in Japan. However, since this Knowledge uses local wood resources and local infrastructure, it is considered that the costs will be lower. Further verification is needed for this point.
5. When entering the construction industry, it is necessary to resolve the following issues: (1) establishment of a local corporation, (2) representative office, and (3) technology licensing. The maximum foreign ownership ratio of a local corporation is 67%. In order to maintain a representative office, a certain size of order is required every three years.

Climate change measures

The land sector, including peat fires, accounted for 43.59% of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2016 (Indonesia NDC, 2021). The government has set a greenhouse gas reduction target of 29% below baseline by 2030, or 41% if certain conditions are met (Indonesia NDC, 2021). Regarding these emission reduction measures, reductions through land use, including forestry, are prioritized.

Relocation of the capital

The relocation of government agencies associated with the relocation of the capital began in 2024. The plan is to complete the relocation by 2045, which will take about 20 years, and create a new capital city, Nusantara, in an area relatively close to Balikpapan in East Kalimantan. Although 250,000 hectares of land is planned to be prepared, there are concerns about the negative impact it will have on the surrounding natural environment. The on-site survey revealed that there are plans to build a 10-story wooden house, a wooden stadium, and a wooden airport facility.

1. We will try to cooperate and collaborate to apply the knowledge at Nusantara, which aims to create a “Forest City.” The 10-story wooden house, wooden stadium, and wooden airport facility will all be large, high-rise buildings. There may be a lack of knowledge in Indonesia to build these structures with wood, so there is hope that there will be room to apply Japanese knowledge such as the KES construction method.
2. If buildings are constructed with earthquake- and fire-resistant wooden structures, they can be expected to show sustainable forest management in the region, improve livelihoods for residents, and demonstrate their environmental contribution through “urban forestation” to Indonesian society.
3. We hope to change the stereotypical view of wooden buildings as “something for poor people who can’t afford it” to “cool buildings that are safe, comfortable, and kind to the environment and residents” and “an architectural style that I would like to live in.”
4. If citizens’ views change, the construction of wooden earthquake-resistant houses in earthquake-prone areas will likely become more widespread. The more earthquake-resistant homes are built, the safer local residents will be. This will make their lives more stable and make it easier for them to work on improving their livelihoods.
5. In order to change the widely entrenched views of people, another shortcut could be to create an example by first introducing wooden buildings into commercial buildings and homes for wealthy people, and to show them actual examples.
6. Regarding costs, by using local wood resources and local processing infrastructure rather than importing Japanese products, costs are expected to be reduced and prices can be expected to be in line with the local market.
7. Regulations governing corporate activities in Indonesia are quite complex, so it would be good to consider collaboration with Japanese general contractors and other companies that have local subsidiaries, as well as with large local conglomerate companies that are highly environmentally conscious.

1. By using lumber produced by local residents for wooden construction materials, which is only rarely used in Indonesia, demand for lumber in the region can be stimulated. The value-added increase in timber from artificial forests is expected to stimulate the local economy leading to improved livelihoods for local residents, promote sustainable management of forests, and promote forest restoration projects on degraded land.
2. If the use of Japanese knowledge can promote earthquake- and fire-resistant wooden buildings, it can be expected to reduce emissions through carbon accumulation in wooden buildings, thereby contributing to the prevention of global warming. In addition to increasing the demand for artificial forest resources for lumber (for construction), it will also promote afforestation of degraded lands, which is expected to have climate change countermeasures effects as a forest sink.
3. It is hoped that the stereotypical view of wooden buildings will change in a positive way such as “something for poor people who can’t afford it” to “cool buildings that are safe, comfortable, and kind to the environment and residents” and “an architectural style that I would like to live in.”
4. Using wood in construction with Japanese knowledge and increasing the durability of wood will contribute to forest preservation, as it will also help protect forests.

1. FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 －Country Report Indonesia－
2. Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), Republic of Indonesia 2022

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