Forest Carbon and EUDR in South Sulawesi

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

Forest carbon in South Sulawesi: Maros-Pangkep karst, Toraja and Enrekang coffee, Luwu cocoa, nickel in Luwu Timur, coastal ponds and mangroves, EUDR exposure.

South Sulawesi’s forest carbon potential lies in coffee and cocoa agroforestry, mangrove restoration on its many coastal fish ponds, and protection of upland forest in Luwu and the Toraja highlands. Its EUDR exposure centres on Toraja and Kalosi coffee and on cocoa, with nickel mining in Luwu Timur as a growing land-use pressure.

Forest and land cover profile

South Sulawesi covers the island’s south-western peninsula, from the rice plains around Makassar and Bone to the highlands of Toraja and Enrekang and the forested north around the Luwu districts.

Key forest and natural areas:

• Bantimurung–Bulusaraung National Park in Maros and Pangkep, protecting one of the largest tropical karst areas in Asia, with caves holding ancient rock art and many endemic butterflies.
• The Toraja and Latimojong highlands, with montane forest and coffee gardens.
• Luwu Timur, with lowland and hill forest around the Malili lakes (Matano, Towuti and Mahalona), which hold endemic fish species.
• Taka Bonerate National Park, a large coral atoll in the Flores Sea.

Peat and mangroves

There is no significant peat. The coast from Maros to Pangkep, Barru and Pinrang, and parts of the Bone Gulf coast, was once lined with mangroves. Most were converted to shrimp and milkfish ponds (tambak), many of which are now low-yield or abandoned.

This makes South Sulawesi one of the clearest cases for pond-to-mangrove restoration and mixed silvofishery systems, where mangroves grow along pond dikes and channels. See aquaculture pond rehabilitation and the blue carbon hub.

Main commodities and drivers of land-use change

• Coffee: arabica from Toraja and Enrekang (sold as Kalosi) is one of Indonesia’s best-known origins. Robusta grows at lower elevations.
• Cocoa: smallholder cocoa in Luwu, North Luwu, East Luwu, Bone, Pinrang and other districts.
• Clove, cashew and coconut: common; not EUDR commodities.
• Rice and maize: major crops; not covered.
• Nickel: large-scale mining in Luwu Timur.

Drivers of forest loss include nickel mining and associated infrastructure, farm expansion into upland forest, and logging. On the coast, pond expansion was the main driver of mangrove loss.

Which carbon project types fit

Pond owners need an income case: silvofishery that keeps fish production while restoring mangroves on part of the pond area is often easier to agree than full conversion. See mangrove restoration carbon.

EUDR exposure

• Coffee: Toraja and Kalosi arabica is grown by smallholders on steep slopes, often under shade. Exporters in Makassar need plot geolocation for every farm and documented land status. Some gardens are in forest estate. See EUDR and coffee.
• Cocoa: smallholder cocoa through collectors to Makassar exporters. See EUDR and cocoa.
• Wood and palm oil: smaller volumes.

Makassar is also a hub for cocoa and coffee from other Sulawesi provinces, so exporters must keep provincial supply streams traceable and segregated.

Customary land and social forestry

South Sulawesi has strong customary institutions. The Ammatoa Kajang community in Bulukumba manages its forest under strict customary rules, and its forest was among the first customary forests (hutan adat) formally recognised by the national government. Toraja communities hold customary land through family and tongkonan (ancestral house) systems. Social forestry licences have also been granted in several districts.

Permenhut 6/2026 names customary forests and social forestry groups as legitimate carbon participants. Communities like Kajang may choose not to engage in carbon markets at all; FPIC means respecting a refusal. See customary forest carbon.

Karst and water

The Maros-Pangkep karst stores and releases water to farms and towns, and limestone and marble mining are major pressures on it. Protecting karst forest has water and cultural heritage value, and the caves hold some of the world’s oldest known rock art. Carbon density on karst is moderate, so co-benefits and community support carry projects.

Practical next steps

For mangrove work, start with pond ownership and hydrology. For coffee and cocoa, combine farm mapping for EUDR with carbon baselines. Compare with West Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi, and see the forest carbon hub.