C Kalimantan Hosts REDD+ Pilot Project

Deforestation activities and the existence of oil palm plantations, mining companies and forest concession holders in the province would threaten the implementation of the REDD+ pilot project and President Yudhoyono’s pledge to cut the greenhouse gas emission by 26 percent by 2020, he said.

Another challenge facing the pilot project is the fact that most of local people living surrounding forest area are not aware about the REDD+ activities, while they are supposed to be one of the main actors in the pilot project implementation. Central Kalimantan has forest and peat land areas functioning as carbon sinks, and is therefore suitable for REDD pilot projects and carbon trade deals.

"One of the projects implemented in Central Kalimantan is the Kalimantan Forest Climate Partnership (KFCP), a joint project between the governments of Indonesia and Australia," he said.

The Indonesia-Australia Forest Climate Partnership (IAFCP) on REDD is implemented at 14 villages covering a total area of 120,000 hectares in Mantangai and Timpah sub districts, to support the realization of UNFCCC (the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change), he said.

Central Kalimantan hosted the fifth annual meeting of the Governors’ Climate and Forest Task Force (GCF) in Palangkaraya, from September 20 to 22, 2011, to discuss sub-national and provincial efforts to tackle deforestation and develop REDD+ schemes.

"We are hoping to learn a tremendous amount about the progress being made at the federal and state levels and how sub-national governments are leading the way and building comprehensive approaches to REDD", said William Boyd, GCF Secretariat at the GCF meeting opening press conference.

The three-day meeting was participated in by over 200 representatives and experts from the GCF member states to share knowledge and discuss the challenges of designing and implementing Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation schemes (REDD).

"The GCF 2011 meeting is an important signal to Palangkaraya, Indonesia and the world that progress in REDD+ is moving fastest at the provincial and state level", Central Kalimantan Governor Teras Narang said in his opening address.

Central Kalimantan plays a central key in Indonesian REDD+ policy and is currently the "Pilot Province" for REDD+ readiness activities. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will officially launch more REDD+ pilot projects in Central Kalimantan in late 2011.