[Jakarta, 26 March 2021] Indonesia has the opportunity to achieve its Long-Term Vision in the country's fight against climate change in line with the Paris Agreement by reducing Indonesia's quota on deforestation to only 10.7 thousand hectares per year, even zero, under the Updated NDC for the year 2020-2030. To achieve the said target, Yosi Amelia, Project Officer for Forest and Climate from Madani Sustainable Foundation stated that various policies to protect Indonesia's remaining forests must be strengthened, such as expanding the policy to halt new licenses to forests that are not yet under any protection schemes, continuing palm oil moratorium, and reconsidering any national strategic programs or national economic recovery programs that threaten Indonesia's forests.
Yosi also added, " In accordance with the Low Carbon Compatible with the Paris Agreement scenario, the rate of Indonesia's natural forest loss for the period of 2020-2030 cannot exceed 241 thousand hectares per year. Therefore, Indonesia's natural forest deforestation quota in that period is only 4.82 million hectares. According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry data, Indonesia has lost more or less 4.71 million hectares of natural forests from the period from 2011-2012 to 2019-2020. Consequently, the remaining quota for deforestation for the period 2020-2030 is only 107 thousand hectares or 10.7 thousand hectares per year. 196,750 hectares, Indonesia's quota on deforestation afterward becomes minus longer has any quota left for deforestation of natural forests until 2030 .”
The Indonesian government has introduced three scenarios on the Long-Term Strategy on Low Carbon and Climate Resilience in 2050 to achieve a net-zero emissions target by 2070, 20 years slower than what the UN has targeted. In the most ambitious scenario, known as Low Carbon Compatible with Paris Agreement – LCCP, Indonesia has targeted an emission peak for every sector with forestry and land sector becoming a net carbon sink by 2030.
Thus, Indonesia's forests and land would be the most dependent sector for Indonesia in its fight against climate change, not only to reduce emissions from its own sector, but also to absorb carbon emissions from other sectors, such as energy, waste, industrial processes and product usage, and also agriculture.
READ ALSO: Zero Deforestation Key to Indonesia's Zero Emissions Strategy
" According to Madani's initial research, there are around 9.4 million hectares of natural forests or 16 times the island of Bali that have not been licensed out and are located outside the protection of PIPPIB (Indicative Map of Termination of New Permits) and social forestry indicative area – PIAPS. They are not under the protection of any policy to halt new licenses and therefore susceptible to deforestation ." Fadli Ahmad Naufal, GIS Specialist from Madani Sustainable Foundation said. He also added that those 9.4 million hectares of natural forests must be protected to achieve Indonesia's long-term strategy on low carbon compatible with the Paris Agreement.
Besides, it is also crucial for the government of Indonesia to review various development policies, from the National Economic Recovery Program (“PEN”), National Strategic Program (“PSN”), to food estate as to not further damage Indonesia's natural forests. " Madani's initial research also found around 1.5 million hectares of Indonesia's natural forests included in the Area of Interest (AOI) of Food Estate in 4 provinces, namely Papua, Central Kalimantan, North Sumatra, and South Sumatra with a huge potential economic value of timber in those areas – reaching IDR 209 trillion ," Fadli added.
The government must also pay a keen attention to protecting Indonesia's natural forests that have already been licensed out, including timber plantation concessions and Palm Oil Plantations. One of the ways to protect forests already under the license/concessions of Palm Oil Plantations is through the Palm Oil Moratorium, which unfortunately will end in September 2021. Trias Fetra, Program Officer for Palm Oil Governance of the Madani Sustainable Foundation suggested that it is in the government's utmost necessity to continue the Palm Oil Moratorium, which includes elements on protecting Indonesia's forests and increasing the productivity of palm oil plantations and plantations. aAnd thus, critical to achieving Indonesia's long-term strategy on low carbon development.
To achieve accomplish Indonesia's long-term strategy on low carbon compatible with the Paris Agreement, Indonesia has to transform its strategy on land use by making use of the unproductive lands – both inside and outside the forest zone, the area of forest to achieve food and energy security, and also strengthen the protection of Indonesia's remaining natural forests and peatland ecosystem.
Lastly, Yosi added, " Our future and the future of the upcoming generations depends on the transformation of Indonesia's economic development towards a no longer destructive development for our forests and environment. This transformation must start right now as the worsening impacts of the climate crisis no longer gives us the luxury of time ."
Contact Person:
Yosi Amelia, Project Officer for Forest and Climate, Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, Phone +62813 2217 1803
Trias Fetra, Program Officer for Palm Oil Governance, Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, Phone: +62877 4403 0366
Luluk Uliyah, Senior Media Communication Officer, Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, Phone +62815 1986 8887
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" Based on a scenario aligned with the Paris Agreement, Indonesia's natural forest deforestation rate for the 2010-2030 period should not exceed 241,000 hectares per year. Therefore, Indonesia's natural forest deforestation quota for that period is only 4.82 million hectares. Based on Ministry of Environment and Forestry data, from 2011-2012 to 2019-2020, Indonesia lost approximately 4.71 million hectares of natural forest, leaving only 107,000 hectares of natural forest deforestation for the 2020-2030 period, or 10.7 thousand hectares per year. However, if we include the 2010-2011 deforestation data based on the 2009-2011 average deforestation of 196,750 hectares, the deforestation quota for the 2020-2030 period even reaches minus. This means that Indonesia no longer has a deforestation quota until 2030 ," Yosi added. Amelia.
The Indonesian government has announced three scenarios in its 2050 Long-Term Strategy on Low Carbon and Climate Resilience , targeting net zero emissions by 2070, 20 years later than the UN's call. In the most ambitious scenario, aligned with the Paris Agreement ( Low Carbon Compatible with Paris Agreement – LCCP), Indonesia targets peak emissions for all sectors, with the forestry and land sector becoming a net sink, in 2030.
Thus, Indonesia's forests and land will be heavily relied upon not only to reduce emissions from the sector itself, but also to absorb carbon emissions or pollution from other sectors, namely energy, waste, industrial processes and product use, and agriculture.
" Based on Madani's initial analysis, there are approximately 9.4 million hectares of natural forest, or almost the equivalent of 16 times the size of Bali Island, outside of permits/concessions, social forestry allocation areas/PIAPS, and new permit termination areas/PIPPIB that are not yet protected by the policy of stopping the issuance of new permits, making them vulnerable to deforestation ," said Fadli Ahmad Naufal, GIS Specialist at the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation. " These 9.4 million hectares of natural forest must be protected to achieve Indonesia's long-term vision in line with the Paris Agreement ."
Furthermore, the government must also review various Economic Recovery programs and National Strategic Projects, such as the Food Estate, to prevent the destruction of natural forests. " Madani's initial analysis indicates that there are 1.5 million hectares of natural forest in the Food Estate Area of Interest in Papua, Central Kalimantan, North Sumatra, and South Sumatra, with a potential timber value of 209 trillion rupiah, that must be protected ," Fadli added.
Protecting natural forests already within Industrial Plantation Forest (Hutan Tanaman Industri) permits and concessions and oil palm plantations must also be a priority. One effort to save natural forests within oil palm plantation permits/concessions is through the palm oil moratorium policy, which will expire in September 2021. " Therefore, continuing the palm oil moratorium policy, which includes elements of saving natural forests and increasing oil palm plantation productivity, is crucial for achieving Indonesia's Long-Term Vision ," said Trias Fetra, Program Officer for Palm Oil Governance at the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation.
To achieve the Long-Term Vision aligned with the Paris Agreement, Indonesia must transform land use by utilizing unproductive lands both inside and outside forest areas to achieve food and energy security and protect the remaining natural forests and peat ecosystems as a whole.
" Our future and that of future generations depends on transforming Indonesia's current economic development to prevent further damage to forests and the environment. This change must begin now, as the worsening impacts of the climate crisis no longer afford us the luxury of time, " Yosi concluded.
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Media Contact :
Yosi Amelia, Forest and Climate Project Officer, Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, HP.0813 2217 1803
Trias Fetra, Program Officer for Palm Oil Governance at the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, WA. 0877 4403 0366
Luluk Uliyah, Senior Media Communication Officer, Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, 0815 1986 8887
