There were expectations that the Bali event would be the “Forest COP”. That year Indonesia delivered. We did so in the form of the Bali Road Map, which laid the foundations for agreements reached two years later in Copenhagen, and eight years later in Paris. But, most importantly, our conference cemented the UNFCCC’s consideration of forests, to include reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation – known as REDD – into the conventional wisdom on climate change.

Doubts lingered around Indonesia’s ability to deliver on the ambition of the Bali conference. Indonesia was plagued by rampant illegal logging. The deforestation rate was high and our forest policy lacked coherence despite reformasi. Importantly, much was still misunderstood about the underlying causes of deforestation in Indonesia. Many had assumed that it was only about selling – and smuggling – timber.

The truth was much more complex. Indonesia’s rural population was growing at a phenomenal rate and the country’s relatively new governance structures were simply unable to keep up with the rapidly changing demographics and high levels of rural poverty. As a consequence, rural areas were being deforested: to grow crops and support livelihoods.

Our country was facing a dilemma: how to reduce the deforestation rate and maintain economic growth. Indonesia exercised patience. It is sometimes said in Indonesia that patience is not being passive; it is an endeavour. Indonesians exercise patience to actively make our way through the trials of living in the archipelago, from earthquakes and volcanoes to droughts and pandemics.

This is not well understood by those living outside of Indonesia. In the West, patience is a virtue, but this implies waiting, not working toward something better. The frequent criticism of our efforts to lower deforestation and improve forest management is often that progress is not quick enough, or that our implementation is too slow.

But the progress has been made and the implementation has taken place. Indonesia can and should be proud of the following core achievements since 2007. First, Indonesia famously was the first country to sign on to a REDD payment agreement with Norway, which promised financial incentives to reduce deforestation.

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