The Jakarta government has joined Cities4Forests as part of their effort to increase collaboration with the international community and develop Jakarta as a Resilient City, particularly regarding the development of green open spaces, parks, and flood mitigation through river naturalization. The government recognizes that trees and forests in Jakarta provide many benefits to urban residents, including providing clean air and high-quality drinking water and the creation of education and recreation spaces where people can interact with one another and foster a culture of outdoor, healthier living.

One of Jakarta’s interests is to address concerns relating to water supply and quality. The city currently faces water shortage and flooding issues. The conservation of trees in the watershed areas near the city can directly affect the availability of clean water and drastically reduce floods that currently plague the city.

For Jakarta, the threat of water does not only come from the annual monsoon rain but also from the sea, as it faces sinking landmass and rising sea levels. Left unchecked, Jakarta’s disappearance underwater seems inevitable. Sprawling over an area of over 650 million square meters, it is imperative that the city integrate trees and urban forests into planning and development to address this. Planned green areas can help alleviate Jakarta’s water problem by buffering against floods, storing carbon, and slowing climate change-induced sea-level rise. Trees, and by extension forests, are a vital part of keeping Jakarta alive and afloat.