CO₂ Operate BV builds cooperative partnerships. Before the start of the program in 2009, CO₂ Operate BV conducted stakeholder analyses to assess potential impacts caused by stakeholders or stakeholders being possibly affected by the project in West Sumatra. As a result an equal cross-section of the local society are influenced by and/or influencing the carbon program. Peoples ideas, desires and knowledge are taken into account and acted upon. So local villagers, local government and knowledge institutions, all fulfil an important role in the success and sustainability of the program. Good relationships have been constructed with the leader of the Nagari (wali nagari), Adat Council and the clans and people that form the farmer groups (kelompok tani). Coordination and management therefore includes some of the most crucial stakeholders/partners. These stakeholders/ partners work together to provide the coordination and implementation of the ecosystem restoration. The influence ranges from funding through to manpower and knowledge. This provides the base understanding to enable the program activities. The proof of concept for ecosystem restoration using ANR was developed some years ago by CO₂ Operate BV and partners. This shows that ecosystem restoration can combine poverty reduction with mitigating climate change whilst increasing biodiversity. The knowledge and experience of working in the local context, not only at grass-root level, but also scientifically, means CO₂ Operate BV and its staff are well positioned as a lead partner.

For more than seven years, the Indonesian staff of the NGO RPL has worked together in the field with CO2Operate BV. The staff being entirely made up from local or regional people, coming from the Nagari itself or nearby Minangkabau regions of West Sumatra. The NGO has been very active in the socialisation processes, including FPIC exercises, managing and monitoring the tree planting and tree growth. They make essential expertise readily available in relation to community development, negotiations under FPIC exercises, and the implementation of capacity building programs related to ecosystem restoration using ANR.

STKIP is a private college. Co2 Operate Bv has a long term official collaboration with STKIP. CApacity building in environmental and social issues of the young generation in Indonesia is viewed important for CO2 operate to create positive, sustainable impact. STKIP is crucial in this respect. They particularly target students coming from low up to middle-income families. Poverty is esepiecially widespread in rural areas, where environmental problems are increasingly a fact of life. When students graduate and go back to their home areas, they can teach about sustainable use of natural resources to the next generation. CO₂ Operate BV director Paul Burgers provides guest lectures whenever a field visit is done, and acts as examiner during final presentations of graduates.

The CO₂ Operate BV program has built good relationships and collaboration with local government institutions. The local government, including the Bupati office (district office), supports the program wherever possible. For instance, recently the BKSDA office (the nature conservation office of the local government) supports the program by providing seedlings free of charge, so that farmers can add more trees on their land. Knowing that the trees and farmer groups are monitored, the BKSDA can see the benefits of linking with the program and see good survival of handed out seedlings.

As Provincial Forestry Department was involved from the beginning of the project their support has enabled the Gula Gula food forest program to be rooted in the local policy context. Their guidance on policies, technical knowledge on state forest land boundaries, land use and working with communities via their fieldworkers strengthens the activities. This is crucial for ecological and social sustainability and secures the future for the project. Most importantly the project does not interfere with state-owned land. Extension officers from the Forestry Department regularly join village meetings during the FPIC activities. Offering advice on tree species choices for farmers. They provide biophysical and technical knowledge to the participants. Identifying which trees perform best in given areas, which trees provide good markets, and how to develop a village nursery to manage seeds and seedlings. They support in providing certified seeds and seedlings to the program at subsidised rates. This ensures that the participants receive high quality seeds and seedlings. This mitigates ecological damage through rogue or invasive species and delivers a genetically robust forest. It also ensures that the trees will provide good quality and quantity products which will support livelihood improvements.

Similar to Forestry they provide knowledge on tree growing. In Indonesia trees are divided into forestry species and agricultural species. So for the agricultural species, such as clove trees and many fruit trees, the Department of Agriculture is in charge. This means they support the participants with ecologically approved seeds and seedlings at subsidized rates.

UNAND is the oldest university outside of Java Island, and the fourth oldest university in Indonesia. This university was established in 1956 following the Decree of Minister of Education and Culture No. 80016/Kab; 23 December 1955. UNAND was officially launched at 13 September 1956 by four of its founding fathers together with the Dr. st Mohammad Hatta, Indonesia's 1Vice President, and the Minister of Education and Culture Bapak Sarino Mangoenpranoto. In its early years, UNAND had five faculties that were spread at different municipalities. Faculty of Agriculture in Payakumbuh, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Natural Science in Bukittinggi, Faculty of Law in Padang, and Faculty of Teaching and Education in Batusangkar. Then Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Animal Husbandry were established in the year 1961 and 1963, consecutively. Other faculties, i.e. Humanities, Engineering, Social and Politics, Pharmacy, Agricultural Technology, and Public Health have been established afterwards. In 1965, Faculty of Teaching and Education split from UNAND and has become Institute of Teaching and Education of Padang (IKIP) Padang.UNAND is now having 15 faculties and Postgraduate Program and is home for almost 25000 students. To date, UNAND has three campuses, i.e Campuss I in Padang covers the area of 500 ha (main campuss); campuss II in Payakumbuh for Animal Science and Economics; and campuss III in Dharmasraya for Agroecotechnology.

Universitas Gadjah Mada is an Indonesian public ivy league research university located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, founded on December 19, 1949. UGM is the oldest and largest institution of higher learning in Indonesia. Located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the 360 acre university comprises of 18 faculties, 68 undergraduate study programs, 23 diploma study programs, 104 master and spesialist study program, and 43 Doctorate study programs. It has approximately 55,000 students, 1,187 foreign students and 2,500 faculty members currently. Universitas Gadjah Mada has been considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in Indonesia. UGM is implementing an educopolis area, a step taken by universities in creating conducive environment for the continuity of the learning process. These efforts are pursued in the context of developing multidisciplinary collaborations and responding to ecological issues in order to achieve the vision of the university. Some of the steps are reducing pollution and vehicle exhaust emissions, development of pedestrian, restriction of vehicles entering the campus, construction of new dormitories on the campus, development of parking pockets, planting the trees green and many more. The Special Region of Yogyakarta of where UGM is located, is one of the smallest provinces in Indonesia and has been widely known as a center of Javanese culture as well as a center of learning. It has 3,400,000 inhabitants, 511,000 of whom reside in the city of Yogyakarta. Its designation as a center of learning is marked by the existence of 120 state and private tertiary educational institutions, with a student population of over 300,000.