C Kalimantan Hosts REDD+ Pilot Project

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Central Kalimantan Province which still has a vast area of virgin forests has been selected to host a REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus) pilot project , a program designed to preserve forest ecosystems and tackling climate change.

The initial pilot project was launched by Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gregory Laurence Moriarty in Kapuas District, Central Kalimantan Province, September 15, 2011.

The pilot project sites cover Katunjung village, Mantangai Hulu, Kalumpang, Sei Ahas and Tumbang Muroi in Mantangai sub district, and Petak Puti village in Timpah sub district, Sapto Subagio, a spokesman of the Kapuas District administration said in Palangkaraya on September 16, 2011.

Some 1.2 billion tree seedlings had been planted by at least 1,684 residents of the seven villages this year with funding from the Kalimantan Forest Climate Partnership (KFCP) program, Kapuas District Head M Mawardi said.

"Local residents have received incentives totaling Rp635 million in June 2011, and Rp785 million in August 2011. A total of Rp6 billion has been allocated for the payment of the incentives to the local people until March 2012," he said.

The indicators of the project’s success must be seen from both the successes in reducing greenhouse gas emission rate and in empowering the local people’s economy, he said.

REDD is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. And "REDD+" goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

It is predicted that financial flows for greenhouse gas emission reductions from REDD+ could reach up to US$30 billion a year. To achieve these multiple benefits, REDD+ will require the full engagement and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities.

Australia has committed $47 million over four years to the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership (KFCP). Under the KFCP, Australia and Indonesia are working together to develop and implement a large-scale project in Central Kalimantan aimed at reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, including from the degradation of peatlands.

"I saw first-hand the good progress to re-forest degraded peat lands in Central Kalimantan under a scheme funded by Australia. I was very pleased that Minister Zulkifli Hasan was so supportive of the work in the Kapuas district", said Ambassador Greg Moriarty in a press statement recently after visiting the REDD+ villages.