Ecobiz.asia – Indonesia is preparing a policy framework and implementation roadmap for High Integrity Biodiversity Credits as part of efforts to strengthen national biodiversity financing and support a transition toward a nature-positive approach.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (Feb. 18, 2026), the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency said it has established a technical team and is identifying potential pilot projects for the implementation of biodiversity credits in Indonesia.
Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said biodiversity protection is a national priority that cannot be delayed, given Indonesia’s position as one of the world’s megabiodiversity countries.
“Biodiversity protection is a national urgency that cannot be postponed. Indonesia, as the world’s second-largest megabiodiversity country, has a global responsibility to ensure the sustainability of its natural resources,” Hanif said.
The commitment was conveyed during the Workshop on Biodiversity Financing: Pathways through Biodiversity Valuation and Multilateral Benefit Sharing, which was attended by representatives of the UK government, development partners, academics, financial institutions, and cross-sector stakeholders.
The workshop forms part of the implementation of the Indonesia–UK Strategic Partnership, inaugurated by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and follows up on a memorandum of understanding between the ministry and the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs covering environmental protection, climate change and biodiversity.
Hanif said biodiversity should be viewed not only as an ecological asset but also as a strategic resource supporting food security, health, energy and national economic development. As such, biodiversity protection must go hand in hand with fair, science-based and sustainable governance.
According to the ministry, biodiversity credits are being designed as a performance-based instrument that allows transparent and accountable participation by both the public and private sectors in conservation, ecosystem restoration, and the protection of priority species and habitats.
The instrument will be built on principles of scientific credibility, social inclusiveness, transparent governance, and robust measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems.
Key steps currently underway include the formation of the Indonesia Biodiversity Credits Technical Team, the drafting of a nature-positive policy framework, the strengthening of multi-stakeholder dialogue, and the development of pilot projects that consider ecosystem readiness as well as socio-economic benefits for communities around high conservation value areas.
Indonesia is also actively participating in the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits policy forum alongside the UK, France and other partner countries.
In parallel, the ministry is strengthening other biodiversity financing instruments, including Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanisms for genetic resources, in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol, and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. ***
