The UK has joined forces with the Indonesian government to tackle deforestation and prepare Indonesians for the impacts of climate change, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced at Davos today.
The partnership will work to bring down carbon emissions by reversing the high rate of deforestation in the country, boost Indonesia ’s low carbon economy and lift thousands of people out of poverty.
Indonesia is the third largest global carbon emitter by some estimates, largely as a result of deforestation, forest fires and draining and burning of peat-land. 3,500 hectares of forest are chopped down every day in the country – the equivalent of three football pitches every minute – and nearly a third of the country’s forest cover has been lost in the last twenty years.
The clearing of forests to make way for oil palm plantations is currently one of the biggest contributors to deforestation in Indonesia . The partnership will help to strengthen regulations and create financial incentives to encourage the palm oil industry to grow on already degraded land, rather than natural forest.
Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, said:
“The impacts of unchecked deforestation in Indonesia will be felt across the world for years to come.
“Through this partnership the UK will stand side by side with the Indonesians to help manage their forests, protecting this vital resource for future generations.”
Indonesia’s President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 per cent by 2020, or by as much as 41 per cent if the country receives international support. Through the new five year partnership, the UK will help Indonesia to meet the more ambitious target for reducing carbon emissions.
The UK Department for International Development (DFID) will provide £50 million towards the partnership to ensure Indonesia ’s trees are worth more in the ground than chopped down; its economic development is based on low carbon growth; and the vulnerability of poor Indonesians to climate change is reduced.
The partnership will also help limit the destruction of peatlands in the country. Greenhouse gas emissions from the burning or drying of Indonesia ’s peatlands are estimated to be equivalent to the total global emissions from air and sea transport.
The partnership will focus on:
- Providing areas such as Papua and Kalimantan (formerly Borneo ) with land use planning and economic advice so that their forests and peatlands can be managed sustainably.
- Providing longer-term access to credit to help businesses offset the additional costs of choosing degraded land, not forests or peat lands, for palm oil production
- Providing analysis and information on the ways forests and peatlands are used to the Indonesian public, helping them to hold their government to account
- Helping Indonesians to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change by improving their understanding of the specific impacts in Indonesia and researching how best to protect the Indonesian people, their property and the infrastructure they depend on.
The new funding will form part of the UK’s £1.5 billion contribution to the international ‘Fast Start’ package announced at December’s Copenhagen conference, helping developing countries take action now to reduce emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
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