The Two Years Forest Moratorium

President SBY last Thursday signed a Presidential decree No. 10/2011, authorizing a two year moratorium on new logging concession, under a billion dollar concession with Norway.

This decree is an implementation of an agreement signed by Indonesia and Norway on May last year, in which Indonesia promised to carry out a moratorium (halt) on the cutting of forest and peatlands for two years in exchange for $1 billion in funding from Norway, under a UN-backed scheme designed to pay developing countries to preserve forests.

However, this moratorium is only for new forest licenses, and will exempt permits already given in principle by the Forestry Ministry and extensions of existing permits, as well as projects to develop supplies of energy, rice and sugar.

This decree was welcomed by the Norwegian government who said that the moratorium is one important step forward for Indonesia
 
But it was protested by the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki) who felt that the decree would restrict business activities.

While green activists said the moratorium would only be applicable to 64 million hectares of the country’s 132 million hectare forest coverage.

In spite of the pro and contra, I hope that the Indonesian government would carry out the moratorium i.e stop cutting forests and peatlands in the next two year as it promised

The Promise to Reduce 26% CO2 by 2020

During the summit meeting of the leaders of the world's G20 countries in 2009, President SBY promised that Indonesia shall voluntarily reduce 26% Carbon Emission by the year 2020.

He went on to say that Indonesia can even reduce Carbon Emission up to 41% if it is assisted by other countries.

In this connection, on 26 May 2010, Indonesia and Norway concluded an agreement in which Indonesia promised to stop cutting forest trees (forest moratorium) for two years and Norway will invest a total of  US$ 1 Billion in forest conservation projects in Indonesia.

But promise is promise, until this now President SBY has still not yet issued a Presidential Decree regarding the 2 years forest moratorium.

Kompas quoted a government official as saying that Indonesia does not need to prioritize the target of reducing carbon dioxide by 26 percent in 2020 as Indonesia does not belong to a group of countries required to reduce their Carbon Emissions.

Considering that President SBY has already made promises to foreign countries that Indonesia shall reduce Carbon Emission, I hope that the government would be very serious in keeping the said promises.

Aceh's Logging Moratorium Nominated for International Award

When the Flash Flood hit Pidie in the province of Aceh, on 28 February, the Governor of Aceh stated that the tragedy was caused by illegal logging i.e. cutting of forest trees, in said province.

This statement surprised me because the provincial government of Aceh has issued a Logging Moratorium i.e. stop the cutting of forest trees, since 2007.

But today I was happy when I read on The Jakarta Globe that the World Future Council  has nominated the Instruction of the Governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam No.5/INSTR/2007 re: Logging Moratorium as one of the nominees for the World's Best Forrest Policies.

Beside Aceh's Logging Moratorium, Forrest policies from Bhutan, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Guatemala, Kenya, Nepal, Norway, India, Rwanda, Turkey, the United States of America and Vietnam had also been short-listed.

Three winning policies will be announced on 21 September at the United Nations headquarters in New York. 

Considering the above I felt that in spite of the obstructions in the implementation of the Logging Moratorium that caused illegal logging still exist, efforts to preserve forrest in Aceh are still considered successful.

I hope that this nomination will strengthen the will and spirit of the provincial government and law enforcement agencies in the province of Aceh to eliminate illegal logging and bring those responsible to the Court of Law.

Uncertain Forest Moratorium

On 26 May 2010, the Indonesian government signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Norwegian government in Oslo, whereby Indonesia promised to reduce emission from deforestation and degradation (REDD), and Norway will pay a compensation of US$ One Billion in return.

For this purpose, the Indonesian government shall impose a Forestry Moratorium i.e. stop deforestration for a two years period starting 1 Januari 2011.

But unfortunately, until today, 18 January, the government still has not made any decision to stop deforestation in Indonesia.

I wonder whether the government delayed the moratorium because of the strong protests made by forests based businessmen and politicians who said that the compensation offered by Norway is too small compared to tax money that the government would collect from palm plantation and forestry industries.

I really hope that the government would stick to the commitment stated in the LoI, not just because of the US$ One Billion compensation but most of all because it will save our forest from destruction at least for the next two years.

Sources :
-  Menhut tegaskan LoI Indonesia-Norwegia Lindungi Hutan (HukumOnline)
-  LoI Moratorium Hutan Jangan Ditanggapi (Kompas) 
-  Kompensasi Moratorium Hutan Indonesia Dinilai Terlalu Kecil (WWF)

Moratorium on Deforestration

Last month President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY) announced a two-year moratorium on Deforestation starting 2011 in exchange for a US$ 1 Billion aid from Norway.

Unfortunately, no one knows how will the moratorium be enforced considering that illegal logging is rampant and official figures about deforestation is doubtful.

Please find below an article about this that I have quoted from Kompas.

SBY: Indonesia Has 'Trust Deficit'

Jumat, 11 Juni 2010 | 08:18 WIB

 

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Indonesian 

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday acknowledged his country lacked credibility, as it seeks billions of dollars in foreign aid to battle climate change. 

He said Indonesia suffered a “trust deficit“ in the international community that was hampering its ability to win backing for initiatives such as a moratorium on  deforestation and cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.                           

“This is the reason for reform. We can turn the trust deficit into a trust surplus. Let's be sure that the institutions in this country are credible,“ he said in his opening remarks to a weekly cabinet meeting.

Indonesia is one of the top emitters of climate-warming gases blamed for rising global temperatures, largely through deforestation due to illegal logging and clearing for palm oil plantations.

Yudhoyono shocked environmentalists and palm planters alike last month when he announced a two-year moratorium on deforestation from 2011 in exchange for $1 billion in aid from Norway. But no one knows how the moratorium will be enforced in a country where experts say illegal logging is rampant and the government's figures about deforestation rates and forest cover are seen as wildly inaccurate.

“All institutions in this country must be credible so that there are no obstacles when we seek cooperation with friendly countries and the international community,“ Yudhoyono said, referring to the pact with Norway.

I ask (ministers) not to be discouraged, not to be angry, that frankly the international community does not fully trust the institutions in many developing countries including ours.“ 

Norway will offer aid from 2014 but only as long as Indonesia has made verifiable progress in halting deforestation. The verifiability of such initiatives is crucial to broader U.N.-backed efforts to link developed-world climate change funds to forest conservation in developing countries like Indonesia.

“If there is no reduced deforestation, we will not pay. If there is reduced deforestation, we will pay,“ Norwegian Prime Minister Stoltenberg told a press conference in Oslo as the moratorium was announced last month.

The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates deforestation is responsible for 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions.