Forest Carbon and EUDR in West Nusa Tenggara

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

Forest carbon in West Nusa Tenggara: Rinjani and Tambora forests, dry monsoon forest, maize on Sumbawa, coffee, mangroves, project fit and EUDR exposure.

West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), made up of Lombok and Sumbawa, has a drier climate than western Indonesia, so its forest carbon potential lies in restoring degraded slopes, agroforestry and protecting upland forest around Rinjani and Tambora. Maize expansion on Sumbawa is the main recent deforestation driver; EUDR exposure is modest and comes mainly from coffee, with small cocoa and wood volumes.

Geography and forest types

NTB sits east of Bali, at the start of the drier Lesser Sunda chain. Rainfall falls steeply from west to east and is concentrated in a short wet season.

• Lombok is dominated by Mount Rinjani. Mount Rinjani National Park protects montane and sub-montane forest that feeds springs and rivers used for irrigation across the island. Rinjani is a UNESCO Global Geopark.
• Sumbawa is larger, drier and less populated, with dry monsoon forest, savanna and hill forest. Mount Tambora, whose 1815 eruption was the largest in recorded history, is now protected as Tambora National Park.

Forest types include semi-evergreen and montane forest at higher elevations, and deciduous monsoon forest and savanna in the lowlands and on Sumbawa’s eastern half. These forests store less carbon per hectare than Sumatran or Kalimantan rainforest, which affects project economics.

Peat and mangroves

There is no peat. Mangroves fringe sheltered bays on both islands, including on Lombok’s east coast and around Sumbawa’s bays. Pond conversion, coastal development and firewood collection have reduced them. Community mangrove restoration is a realistic option; see blue carbon.

Main commodities and drivers of forest loss

• Maize: government programmes and strong prices drove rapid maize expansion on steep land in Dompu, Bima and other Sumbawa districts, often inside forest estate. Erosion and flash floods followed. Maize is not an EUDR commodity.
• Coffee: arabica and robusta from Sembalun and other Rinjani slopes on Lombok, and from the Tambora area on Sumbawa.
• Cashew, coconut and candlenut: on dry land.
• Cocoa: small volumes.
• Forest honey and other non-timber products: important on Sumbawa.
• Seaweed and fisheries: major coastal livelihoods.

Fire is a recurring problem in dry forest and savanna during the long dry season.

Which carbon project types fit

Restoring maize slopes only works if farmers earn as much or more from the new system. Agroforestry that mixes fruit and nut trees with timber, and staged planting so annual crops continue in early years, is usually more durable than pure reforestation. See the ARR hub and the agroforestry hub.

Dry-climate tree growth is slower, so ex-ante estimates must use realistic growth curves. Survival in the first two dry seasons is the biggest risk; see nursery and survival rates.

EUDR exposure

EUDR exposure is limited. Coffee from Lombok and Sumbawa is the main covered commodity, sold mostly to domestic and specialty buyers. Small volumes of cocoa and wood also apply.

Where coffee or cocoa is grown in forest estate, farmers need a social forestry licence or other legal basis to pass the EUDR legality test. Plots cleared after 31 December 2020 cannot supply the EU. See EUDR and coffee.

Social forestry and customary land

Sasak communities on Lombok and Samawa and Mbojo communities on Sumbawa have customary land and resource rules. On Lombok, customary rules (awig-awig) govern forest use in some villages around Rinjani. Social forestry licences (community forests and village forests) have been granted in NTB, including on slopes where farmers grow coffee or maize in forest estate.

Permenhut 6/2026 recognises social forestry groups and customary communities as legitimate carbon market participants. For maize-slope restoration, a social forestry licence that commits farmers to tree cover is often the best starting point. See social forestry carbon.

Seaweed, ponds and coast

Seaweed farming and fish ponds are important coastal livelihoods. Mangrove restoration should be designed with pond owners and seaweed farmers so that it supports, rather than competes with, these incomes.

Practical next steps

Map land cover history for candidate slopes to confirm the 10-year non-forest condition for ARR, and check forest estate status. The ARR carbon estimator gives an early estimate. Compare with Bali and drier East Nusa Tenggara, and see the forest carbon hub.