Empowering Community, restoring nature

The Kepayang Village Forest Project Project is a community-based conservation initiative focused on protecting and restoring a community-managed forest in the Merang peat dome in South Sumatra. In December 2022, with initial 3-year funding from Nestlé, work began on the project to safeguard this forest - a critical biodiversity corridor between the Sumatra Merang Peatland Project (SMPP) and Berbak-Sembilang National Park.

This project is a pilot for community-led models for forest management that can be integrated with larger carbon credit initiatives. The long-term goal is to regenerate the forest and establish a self-sustaining, community-driven conservation effort. Field staff are actively engaged in forest patrols and fostering community participation to ensure the protection of this ecologically significant wetland, contributing to biodiversity conservation and global climate goals.

The Kepayang Village Forest Project Project is under development for certification under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standard (CCB).