Forest Carbon and EUDR in Gorontalo

Updated 2026-11-02 · 3 min read · By the akar.earth specialist team

Forest carbon in Gorontalo: Nantu and Bogani Nani Wartabone forests, Tomini Bay mangroves, maize on slopes, coconut and cocoa, project fit and EUDR exposure.

Gorontalo’s forest carbon potential lies in restoring hillsides cleared for maize, protecting the Nantu and Bogani Nani Wartabone forests, and rebuilding Tomini Bay mangroves lost to fish ponds. EUDR exposure is limited, mainly cocoa and wood, because its largest crops (maize, coconut and sugar cane) are not covered.

Forest and land cover profile

Gorontalo lies on Sulawesi’s northern arm between North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi. It was split from North Sulawesi in 2000. The province is narrow and hilly, with the Celebes Sea to the north and Tomini Bay to the south.

Forest types include lowland and hill rainforest, montane forest and small areas of karst and dry forest. Key areas:

• Nantu forest (Nantu-Boliyohuto wildlife reserve), an important lowland forest with salt licks used by babirusa and anoa.
• Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, shared with North Sulawesi, protecting forest on the eastern border.
• Lake Limboto, a large shallow lake near Gorontalo city, suffering from sedimentation caused by upstream land clearing.

Like the rest of Sulawesi, Gorontalo sits in Wallacea and has many endemic species, which supports biodiversity co-benefit claims.

Peat and mangroves

There is no significant peat. Mangroves are important on the Tomini Bay coast, especially in Pohuwato and Boalemo. Large areas were converted to shrimp and milkfish ponds, and some ponds have since been abandoned. Restoring abandoned ponds to mangrove is one of the clearest blue carbon options in Sulawesi. See mangrove restoration carbon and aquaculture pond rehabilitation.

Main commodities and drivers of forest loss

• Maize: Gorontalo has promoted maize as a flagship crop. Expansion onto steep slopes, including inside forest estate, has caused erosion, landslides and lake sedimentation. Not an EUDR commodity.
• Coconut: a long-standing crop. Not covered.
• Cocoa: smallholder cocoa in several districts. See cacao.
• Sugar cane: estates. Not covered.
• Gold mining: licensed and informal mining in Bone Bolango, Pohuwato and elsewhere.

The main drivers of forest loss are maize on slopes, mining, logging and pond expansion on the coast.

Which carbon project types fit

Maize-slope restoration only lasts if farmers earn enough from the new system. Agroforestry that mixes tree crops (cocoa, fruit, candlenut) with timber trees, and keeps annual crops between young trees, tends to work better than pure planting. See the ARR hub and cocoa agroforestry carbon.

EUDR exposure

• Cocoa: smallholder cocoa needs plot geolocation, evidence of no deforestation since 31 December 2020 and legal land status. Some cocoa gardens are in forest estate and need a social forestry licence or other legal basis. See EUDR and cocoa.
• Wood: timber from smallholders and forest needs harvest-area geolocation.

Maize, coconut and sugar exporters are not affected by the EUDR.

Customary land and social forestry

Gorontalo has strong customary traditions, summed up in the principle that custom is based on Islamic law. Customary land claims exist in forest-edge villages. Social forestry licences have been granted, including for village forests and community forests.

Permenhut 6/2026 confirms social forestry groups and customary communities as legitimate carbon participants. On maize slopes, a social forestry licence with a tree-cover commitment can provide both the legal basis and the land-use change needed for a project. See social forestry carbon.

Lake Limboto and watershed benefits

Lake Limboto has shrunk and become shallower as sediment from cleared hillsides fills it. Flooding around Gorontalo city has increased. This gives restoration of upstream slopes a strong local rationale beyond carbon: less sediment, less flooding and more stable water supply. Projects that frame tree planting around watershed protection tend to win stronger support from district governments and communities. For carbon purposes, slopes that have been maize fields for more than ten years can meet the ARR eligibility rule, but survival on eroded, nutrient-poor soils must be planned for. Species choice should favour trees that tolerate degraded soil and give income, such as candlenut, cashew and fruit trees, combined with timber species. See species selection for ARR.

Practical next steps

Check the 10-year non-forest condition for degraded slopes, the forest estate status and pond ownership along the coast. Compare with North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi, and see the forest carbon hub.