Indonesia will introduce a two-year moratorium on (stop for) deforestation to help tackle climate change, the country’s president has said. according to BBC online Thursday.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made the announcement in Norway on the eve of a climate conference in Oslo. The decision is part of a deal reached with Norway, which has agreed to contribute up to 1 billion US dollar to help preserve Indonesia’s forests.
Deforestation can lead to significant levels of carbon dioxide emissions.
– We will conduct a moratorium for two years where we stop the conversion of peat land (tørvejord) and of forest, President Yudhoyono said at a joint news conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
Under the 1 billion dollar deal Norway will pay Indonesia a fixed sum per ton of CO2 emissions reduced through rain forest preservation. Norway has had a similar deal with Brazil since the mid-1990s, report Norwegian newsmedia.
Analysts, though, said, banning new permits for the conversion of virgin forest and carbon-rich peat lands, requires new laws limiting commercial clearing of land, that could prove difficult to enforce in a country riddled with corrruption.
The clearing of forests for commercial uses has helped make Indonesia the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind the United States and China, according to some estimates. The country has major timber and paper industries and is the world’s leading producer of palm oil.
WWF skriver på sit website torsdag:
WWF (Verdensnaturfonden) welcomed Wednesdays announcement that Norway will provide USD 1 billion to support Indonesia’s efforts to reduce emissions caused by deforestation in that country.
The two governments have agreed to enter into a partnership to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in Indonesia’s forests and peat lands.
– This partnership is a key step in developing a workable framework for reducing emissions from deforestation in Indonesia, said Fitrian Ardiansyah, Climate and Energy Program Director of WWF-Indonesia.
– The Indonesian President’s announcement to put a break in releasing new permits to convert peat land also provides new opportunities for further reduction of emissions and this will move the partnership of the two countries closer to achieving the goal, added he.
– Indonesia’s agreement with Norway to big reductions in deforestation is a groundbreaking achievement in the work to combat climate change, said Rasmus Hansson, CEO of WWF-Norway, adding: – This commit-ment to halting destructive forest and land use by one of the world’s key forest countries promises to directly limit global CO2 emissions.
For real climate benefits to be realized, this agreement needs to be followed up by implementing specific work plans in developing countries, including in Indonesia, that formalize REDD+ implementation and ensure that these activities contain the proper governance for REDD+ and safeguards for indigenous peoples and biodiversity, according to WWF.
– This agreement sets an inspiring example of responsible climate cooperation between developing and industrialised nations, said Hansson.
– To WWF, it is of particular importance that the partners recognise that forest conservation is about much more than CO2 emissions. Safeguar-ding ecosystems, biodiversity and indigenous peoples’ livelihoods is an absolute prerequisite (forudsætning) for making this work – and obviously a crucial benefit in itself, noted he.
According to the Norwegian government, as part of the partnership funds will initially be devoted to finalizing Indonesia’s climate and forest strategy, building and institutionalizing capacity to monitor, report and verify reduced emissions, and putting in place enabling policies and institutional reforms, according to the Norwegian government.
The two-year suspension on new concessions on conversion of natural forests and peat lands into plantations will be implemented as part of the agreement.
By 2014, the plan is to move to an Indonesian-wide instrument of funding contributions in return for verified emission reductions, the government said in a press release. Funds will be managed by an internationally reputable financial institution according to international fiduciary, governance, environmental and social standards.
60 MILLIONER FRA DANMARK
Med overskriften “Nyt partnerskab om skov og klima” skriver statsministeriet i København på sit website, at flere end 50 lande torsdag blev enige i Oslo om at indgå et partnerskab, hvor landene skal samarbejde om at bekæmpe skovrydning.
Skovrydningen er i dag et massivt problem, der udgør 15-20 procent af de globale udledninger. Partnerskabslandene, der omfatter både u-lande og industrilande, var enige om, at der over de næste 3 år skal ydes op til 4 milliarder US dollars i finansiel støtte til at standse skovfældning og til at plante ny skov. Målet er at fjerne skovenes bidrag til den globale opvarmning.
Danmark har planlagt at bidrage med i alt 60 mio. kr. i 2010.
Partnerskabet er en direkte udmøntning af Copenhagen Accord. Et af Københavns-aftalens kerneelementer var at få iværksat konkret handlen her og nu. Partnerskabet på skovområdet er et eksempel på, hvordan Copenhagen Accord kan føres ud i livet, hedder det.
I alt 126 lande har associeret sig til Copenhagen Accord. Det svarer til knap 90 pct.af verdensøkonomien og 82 pct. af verdens udledninger af CO2.
Statsminister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (V) deltog i mødet i Oslo og siger:
– Det nye partnerskab er det vigtigste skridt, der hidtil er taget for at standse skovrydning globalt. Jeg er glad for, at den norske statsminister har stillet sig i spidsen for dette initiativ, der er en konkret udmøntning af den aftale, vi lavede i København.
– Vi har fokuseret på praktisk samarbejde, der kunne føre til konkrete resultater – også mens de formelle forhandlinger fortsætter. Det er nu lykkedes, når det gælder arbejdet med at standse rydningen af de tropiske skove, anfører Lars Løkke.
Kilder WWF, BBC og statsministeriet
