Indonesia's REDD+ pact: saving imperilled forests or business as usual?

Edwards, David P., Koh, Lian Pin, and Laurance, William F. (2012) Indonesia's REDD+ pact: saving imperilled forests or business as usual? Biological Conservation, 151 (1). pp. 41-44.

[img] PDF (Published Version (Author Copy)) - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

[img] PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Restricted to Repository staff only

View at Publisher Website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011....
 
40
2


Abstract

Indonesia and Norway have entered into a landmark deal that will pay Indonesia up to US$1 billion for forest-conservation activities aimed at slowing rampant deforestation and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. A recent Presidential Instruction in Indonesia outlines a key deliverable of this 'Partnership' — a two-year suspension on new concessions for clearing or logging of peat and old-growth forest. Here, we discuss the implications of this instruction for carbon and biodiversity protection. The protection of highly threatened deep peatlands represents a clear victory. However, by focusing solely on old-growth forests, the instruction excludes over 46 million ha of selectively logged rainforests, which often have high carbon storage and biodiversity. This leaves the logged forests, most of which are in accessible lowland areas, highly vulnerable to re-logging and conversion for oil palm and pulpwood plantations. The instruction also could allow large areas of peatlands and old-growth forest to be converted to sugarcane—one of the world’s most rapidly expanding biofuel crops. While the Partnership could potentially help reform land-use planning and reduce illegal deforestation in Indonesia, we argue that Indonesia must also strive to protect vulnerable logged forests, which comprise a large part of the country's high-carbon, high-biodiversity lands.

Item ID: 23031
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1873-2917
Keywords: carbon trading; peat forest, REDD; reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation; selective logging; Southeast Asia; sugarcane; sundaland; tropical forest
Date Deposited: 15 Aug 2012 05:25
FoR Codes: 05 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 0502 Environmental Science and Management > 050202 Conservation and Biodiversity @ 100%
SEO Codes: 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9608 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity > 960899 Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity of Environments not elsewhere classified @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 2
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page