JAKARTA, Thursday (29/7/2026) – The PRAKARSA hosted a film screening and panel discussion titled "Restorative Economics: A Counter-Solution to the Extractive Economy" at the Institut Français d'Indonésie (IFI) in Jakarta. Not only did the event serve as a platform for disseminating research findings, it also brought together 120 participants from government, the private sector, civil society organizations and communities, the media, academics, and other professional groups.
The composition of participants demonstrated the forum's broad reach. Civil society organizations, communities, and non-governmental organizations comprised the largest group, with 37 participants, or 30,8 percent. The private sector represented 29 participants, or 24,2 percent, followed by government representatives with 23 participants, or 19,2 percent. The event was also attended by 14 participants from other groups, 11 media personnel, and six academics.
This diversity positions the restorative economy as a cross-sectoral issue, not just an environmental agenda. Participants from the private sector, for example, came from the creative industry, the environment, agriculture, financial services, food and beverage, contracting, and even pharmaceuticals. The presence of diverse business sectors demonstrates that ecosystem restoration is directly linked to production methods, financing, supply chains, market development, and public communication.
The documentary film screened summarizes the lessons learned from The research PRAKARSA in Siak, Sigi, Tamanmartani, and Tampelas. Stories from these four locations provided a meeting point for participants with diverse mandates and experiences to explore how environmental restoration can go hand in hand with strengthening community livelihoods. Through audiovisual media, experiences at the grassroots level can be interpreted as shared challenges requiring policy, financing, institutional, and market responses.
The Executive Director PRAKARSAVictoria Fanggidae emphasized that research findings show that the restorative economy relies heavily on the strength of cross-stakeholder networks. The composition of participants in this activity clearly demonstrates this ecosystem: the government brings regulatory and programmatic perspectives, businesses and philanthropists open up financing and market development opportunities, while civil society organizations, communities, academics, and the media strengthen knowledge, oversight, and public narratives.
The discussion also brought together the experiences of local activists with policymakers and supporting institutions at the national level. The conversation went beyond the economic potential of restoration activities to address the prerequisites for scaling them up, including trust in community capacity, policy certainty, permit facilitation, incentives, access to financing, and support for local products and businesses.
"We must trust the local community, its products, its capacity, and its capabilities. Initiatives like this must also grow elsewhere, adapting to the potential and challenges of each region," said Mushrahmad Igun, one of the driving forces behind the local restorative economic initiative.
For The PRAKARSAThe high level of multi-stakeholder participation demonstrates that the restorative economic agenda has the potential to reach a broader audience and build a common language among stakeholders. Film serves as a vehicle for connecting research evidence with community experiences and opening up conversations about the roles each stakeholder can play in driving change.
This activity emphasizes that the transformation from an extractive economy to a restorative economy cannot be supported by a single sector. Collaboration between government, communities, businesses, financial institutions, philanthropy, academia, and the media needs to be translated into policies, funding schemes, partnerships, and institutional support that enable local initiatives to grow, be replicated, and provide sustainable ecological and economic benefits.