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| President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivering his opening address at the Forests Indonesia Conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. Yudhoyono promised to dedicate the last three years of his administration to safeguarding Indonesia’s rainforests — a pledge that received broad support at a major conference in Jakarta. (AFP Photo) |
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President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised on Tuesday to dedicate the last three years
of his administration to safeguarding Indonesia’s rainforests — a pledge that
received broad support at a major conference in Jakarta.
Hosted by
the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the conference provided
a platform for 1,000 leaders of Indonesia’s government, business community and
civil society, as well as foreign donors, to discuss the future of the forests,
the third-largest tropical forest in the world.
“I will
continue my work and dedicate the last three years of my term as President to
deliver enduring results that will sustain and enhance the environment and
forests of Indonesia,” Yudhoyono said at the conference. “If it weren’t for the
benefits that our forests provide, then our way of life, our people, our
economy, our environment and our society would be so much the poorer.
“Our
success in managing our forests will determine our future and the opportunities
that will be available to our children.”
A CIFOR
news release says Indonesia is losing about 1.1 million hectares of its forests
each year. Most of it is due to unsustainable logging that includes the
conversion of forests to plantations for palm oil and the pulp and paper
industry. It is also partly due to large-scale illegal logging, which is
estimated to cost Indonesia about $4 billion annually.
“We must
change the way we treat our forests so that they are conserved even as we drive
hard to accelerate our economic growth,” Yudhoyono said. “I do not want to
later explain to my granddaughter, Almira that we, in our time, could not save
the forests and the people that depend on it. I do not want to tell her the sad
news that tigers, rhinoceroses and orangutans vanished like the dinosaurs.”
In his
speech, the president reiterated a 2009 pledge to cut Indonesia’s greenhouse
gas emissions by up to 41 percent from business-as-usual levels by 2020 — a vow
only achievable if the forests are safeguarded.
Globally,
deforestation accounts for up to 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In
Indonesia, however that figure is up to 85 percent, Yudhoyono said. This makes
the country one of the highest emitters in the world.
Norway has
committed up to $1 billion to help Indonesia meet its emissions reduction
target, and in May this year the Indonesian government issued a two-year
moratorium on new forestry concessions.
“Norway is
proud of the partnership with Indonesia,” Erik Solheim, Norway’s minister for
the environment and international development, said at the conference.
“We
strongly encourage other countries to support the work that President Yudhoyono
and the government of Indonesia is doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
President Yudhoyono is now one of the foremost statesmen leading the
international fight to combat climate change.”
It is
predicted that up to $30 billion could flow from developed to developing
countries each year to help facilitate significant reductions in deforestation,
and Indonesia could potentially claim a significant share of these funds
through REDD+, a global mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and
forest Degradation, as well as the conservation and sustainable management of
forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
Indonesia
is one of the countries with the most REDD+ demonstration activities in various
stages of development, and Indonesia has been an early participant in various
bilateral and multilateral initiatives to prepare for REDD+ implementation at
the national level.
In addition
to potential funding opportunities through REDD+ in coming years, Indonesia has
a range of options available to reduce the pace of deforestation, while at the
same time expanding agricultural production to guarantee food security targets
and promote economic growth.
This
includes focusing future agricultural development on so-called degraded land,
rather than clearing rainforest to make way for plantations or developing
carbon-rich peatland. The government could also support a push for agricultural
intensification – increasing yields per hectare, which are currently relatively
low.
“While
there are some ‘win-win’ opportunities to reconcile forest management to meet
both global and domestic objectives, there will also be some trade-offs that
will require leadership from government, business, and civil society to
determine the best way forward for Indonesia in a manner that is transparent
and fair,” said Frances Seymour, CIFOR director general.
As part of
his push to safeguard the forests, Yudhoyono called on Indonesia’s captains of
industry to adopt more sustainable forests management practices.
“I call
upon our business leaders, particularly those in the palm oil, pulp wood and
mining sectors, to partner with us by enhancing the environmental
sustainability of their operations,” he said. “I ask you to join me in pledging
to safeguard this national treasure for the sake of our children.”
The
President’s pledge received widespread support from conference attendees.
“I am
pleased to be here at the Forests Indonesia Conference because the UK
recognizes the importance of climate change in Indonesia. We are pleased to be
supporting the government of Indonesia’s work to meet its internationals
climate change commitments,” said Jim Paice, UK Minister of State at the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
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