Pekanbaru, 22 September 2026 — The initial draft of the Benefit Sharing Plan (BSP) for Riau’s Jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD+) continues to be refined through an intensive consolidation process. Held at the Riau Provincial Bappeda Office, the GREEN for Riau initiative, together with the BSM Working Group and BSP Experts, reviewed a number of important substantive issues to ensure readiness and strengthen the foundation of the BSP before entering a broader stakeholder consultation stage.
During the meeting, members of the BSM Working Group revisited the substance of the draft, aligned their understanding, and identified aspects that still need to be strengthened. The process is intended to ensure that the proposed benefit-sharing mechanism is developed in an inclusive, participatory, transparent, and equitable manner, while considering the roles of various parties in the implementation of JREDD+ in Riau.
Head of Bappeda Riau Province, Purnama Irawansyah, S.Hut., M.M., who officially opened the session, stated that the GREEN for Riau process continues alongside efforts to strengthen land governance and develop carbon economic value. Riau has received a letter of support from the Minister of Forestry to register the JREDD+ programme using a jurisdictional and nesting approach, along with plans to apply the ART-TREES standard.
With an accounting area of approximately 2.6 million hectares, programme management involves various actors at the site level. Therefore, the benefit-sharing mechanism needs to be able to recognize the contributions of those who protect forests and reduce emissions. The Head of Bappeda also emphasized the importance of transparency, inclusiveness, and opportunities to create benefits that support the long-term sustainability of forest protection efforts.
Meanwhile, Bambang Arifatmi, Country Coordinator of the UNEP UN-REDD Programme in Indonesia, expressed appreciation for the process undertaken by the BSM Working Group. He emphasized that safeguards and benefit sharing are crucial elements in the development of a REDD+ programme and require shared agreement. According to him, experiences from other regions show that there is no single uniform formula that can be applied everywhere, so Riau needs to develop a mechanism that is suited to its local context. Government, Indigenous Peoples, social forestry groups, civil society organizations, the private sector, and academia all need space to express their views.
During the technical session, Riko Wahyudi, BSP Expert for GREEN for Riau, presented progress on the initial draft and the principles guiding its development. The discussion covered the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, meaningful participation, environmental integrity, accountability, effectiveness, efficiency, and fairness. The discussion also highlighted the importance of recognizing the contributions of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, social forestry groups, Forest Management Units (KPH), conservation units, and other parties.
Another important focus was to ensure that community groups that do not yet have formal recognition are still considered fairly, taking into account institutional evidence and relevant provisions. The discussion also emphasized the application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC/PADIATAPA) and the resolution of overlapping area issues. In addition, the Working Group discussed the institutional arrangements for implementing the BSP, from identifying potential beneficiaries and verification at the site level to benefit distribution mechanisms.
This consolidation process will be followed by consultations with various stakeholders, including at the regional level, so that parties outside Pekanbaru also have space to provide input. These inputs will be documented and reviewed by the BSM Working Group to refine the draft before technical SOPs are prepared with expert support.
Through this gradual and collaborative process, GREEN for Riau continues to promote a transparent and accountable benefit-sharing mechanism to strengthen stakeholder engagement toward high-integrity forest carbon governance in Riau.