Ecobiz.asia — Rimba Collective, a conservation initiative managed by Lestari Capital, has expanded its portfolio in Indonesia by partnering with Nusantara Climate Initiative (NCI) through the launch of the Wahea-Tabang Project in East Kalimantan, a community-based forest protection and restoration initiative covering more than 160,000 hectares.
The project marks a large-scale transition from extractive land use toward long-term conservation and community-led forest management.
The Wahea-Tabang area is being developed as an integrated landscape that combines climate change mitigation, biodiversity protection, and inclusive economic development.
Lestari Capital Founder and CEO Michal Zrust said the project’s expansion demonstrates that conservation-based business models can serve as viable and sustainable alternatives for forestry concessions in Indonesia.
“By transitioning more than 160,000 hectares from conventional logging to conservation and community-led stewardship, we are demonstrating that alternative forestry business models are not only viable, but can also deliver measurable outcomes for climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods,” Zrust said in a statement on Thursday (Dec. 18, 2025).
The Wahea-Tabang Project is expected to support around 5,500 people in at least 16 villages through the development of sustainable livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and improved access to healthcare services, clean water, and education.
From an ecological perspective, the area plays a critical role in protecting and reconnecting habitats for 40 threatened species listed on the IUCN Red List, including the Bornean orangutan and the sun bear.
NCI Executive Director Barakalla Robyn said the collaboration reflects a broader shift in conservation approaches toward non-extractive land-use models that are investable and scalable.
“Through our collaboration in the Wahea-Tabang Project, we are aligning long-term conservation goals with measurable climate and biodiversity outcomes. Importantly, this partnership marks a transition toward sustainable, non-extractive land-use models led by landowners, demonstrating that conservation-based businesses are viable, investable, and ready to scale,” Barakalla said.
Over a 25-year period, the Wahea-Tabang Project is projected to avoid and remove more than 14.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, plant over 500,000 trees, and secure the long-term conservation and restoration of extensive forest areas.
Unlike carbon-market-based conservation projects, Wahea-Tabang adopts a non-carbon ecosystem services payment approach, in which financial support is directly linked to measurable conservation, social, and biodiversity performance. The project is also targeting Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) certification.
Rimba Collective, managed by Lestari Capital, is a long-term conservation finance initiative that channels private-sector funding into forest conservation, biodiversity protection, and community livelihoods across Southeast Asia. Since 2022, it has supported more than 300,000 hectares of tropical forest in Indonesia and the Philippines, and is scaling its impact across the region. ***
