As part of IRI Phase 3, IRI Indonesia convened an Advisory Council consultation with the Environmental and Natural Resources Institute of the Indonesia Ulama Council and Nahdlatul Ulama to align program direction and strengthen the chapter model.
Participants emphasized shifting from symbolic action to data-driven environmental work and translating scientific findings into accessible language for religious leaders. The consultations recommended anchoring chapters in specific landscapes with governance structures and measurable conservation outcomes, with examples including the Leuser landscape, West Papua mangroves, Pamijahan waqf forests and Manglayang forests and guiding reactivation or creation through standardized criteria.
The group also explored potential for requesting religious guidance (fatwas) supporting reforestation and forest stewardship. Parallel consultations with Muhammadiyah, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) and MATAKIN emphasized chapter sustainability through two-way engagement, regular evaluation and field visits, and sharpened criteria for expansion, including high-risk landscapes such as Yapen, Bintuni, Raja Ampat and North Halmahera, and a proposed pilot in Bangka focused on tin-mining impacts.
