Indonesia Sustainable Forest Management (PDF)

Part 6 Disappearing green canopy Extended reading Sustainable forest management...

Part 6 Disappearing green canopy Extended reading Sustainable forest management measures in Indonesia Textbook p. 88 Credit: Garakta-Studio/Envato Elements Indonesia is the third largest rainforest country in the world, with a forest cover of over 63% (120.5 million hectares) (Figure 1). The country’s forests are home to nearly 15% of the world’s plant, mammal and bird species. However, Indonesia’s forests have been threatened by the expansion of oil palm plantations, illegal and unsustainable logging practices, mining activities, etc. Therefore, Indonesia has adopted various forest management measures. Due to the successful implementation of these measures, the country’s deforestation rate reached a historic low in 2021. Source: World Resources Institute, Global Forest Watch Figure 1 Distribution of undisturbed tropical rainforests in Indonesia, 2015 Details of the forest management measures in Indonesia Indonesia aims to limit deforestation by up to 6.8 million hectares and reduce 17% of carbon emission from its forestry sector by 2030. Table 1 on pp. 2–3 shows the details of some major forest management measures that have been implemented to achieve these goals. Sumatra 蘇門答臘島 Java 爪哇島 Kalimantan 加里曼丹島 Sulawesi 蘇拉威⻄島 New Guinea 新幾內亞島 Senior Secondary Exploring Geography Third Edition (RMA 2024) © Oxford University Press (China) Ltd 2024 1 Part 6 Disappearing green canopy Extended reading Table 1 Major forest management measures in Indonesia Ban  In 2011, a moratorium was put deforestation forward to stop issuing permits to clear primary forests for oil palm plantations and timber logging  In 2019, the clearing of primary forests was permanently banned. The ban covers an area of over 66 million hectares  In the same year, the government started reviewing existing forest-clearing permits of oil palm plantations. Permits that do not meet sustainable Credit: Achmad Rabin Taim/Wikimedia Commons standards will be revoked Figure 2 An oil palm plantation in Indonesia Set up  About 43% (51.7 million hectares) of the country’s forest area is designated as protected protection or conservation forests (Figure 3) areas  Protection forests are designed as buffer zones to prevent floods, control soil erosion and maintain soil fertility  National parks and nature reserves are set up in conservation forests Source: Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry Figure 3 Distribution of protection and conservation forests in Indonesia, 2015 Develop  Ecotourism is being developed in ecotourism some conservation forests. In 2021, about 2.9 million tourists visited these forests  Entrance fees are charged for visitors, vehicles, tourism activities, guest houses, commercial film shooting and research activities  In 2021, more than 4,500 local people were employed in ecotourism industry, e.g. as tour guides  No human activities are allowed Credit: Gunawan gtp/Wikimedia Commons in the core zones of the forests Figure 4 A national park in Indonesia moratorium 暫停 Senior Secondary Exploring Geography Third Edition (RMA 2024) © Oxford University Press (China) Ltd 2024 2 Part 6 Disappearing green canopy Extended reading Encourage  Community-based forest management is carried out. Local and native communities public are involved in planning, decision-making processes and implementing sustainable participation forest management practices (e.g. reducing slash-and-burn and developing agroforestry)  In 2015, the government announced that about 12.7 million hectares of forests would be distributed to local and native communities through a social forestry programme. The communities are allowed to plant timber species and harvest non- timber forest products to support their livelihoods while conserving the forests  Reforestation is carried out by local and native peoples Regulate  Logging companies and plantations logging and are encouraged to apply more plantations sustainable practices such as reduced-impact logging and agroforestry systems (Figure 5)  Logging companies are required to record the origins of their timber harvested from natural forests and tree plantations  Replanting is required after felling trees in natural forests Credit: Giovannobarus/Dreamstime.com Figure 5 An agroforestry farm in Indonesia Set up eco-  Under the Timber Legality Assurance System, all timber products harvested in product Indonesia must obtain a license verifying their legality certification  In 2016, Indonesia became the first country to export timber products with the systems Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) license to the European Union. The FLEGT license confirms that the timber products are legally produced  The Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) provides certificates to oil palm products produced sustainably in Indonesia, e.g. involve no deforestation and land- burning during the production process Prevent forest  Since 2015, a new strategy of forest fire management has been implemented, fires prioritising fire prevention  Preventive measures include fire patrols, applying a zero-burning system when clearing land and satellite-based monitoring systems Secure  In 2022, Indonesia received the first payment of US$20.9 million from the Reducing funding for Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Programme (REDD+) for conservation conserving the forests in East Kalimantan. Part of the payment would be allocated to local communities  Indonesia would receive up to US$110 million from REDD+ once the emission reduction is verified  Some debts are renegotiated and written off in return for the efforts in rainforest conservation. For example, in 2009, the US government wrote off about US$30 million of debts in return for Indonesia’s efforts to protect the rainforests on Sumatra  Benefits from bio-prospecting activities in the rainforests are shared with the Indonesian government Senior Secondary Exploring Geography Third Edition (RMA 2024) © Oxford University Press (China) Ltd 2024 3 Part 6 Disappearing green canopy Extended reading Pros and cons of the forest management measures Forest management measures in Indonesia can strike a balance between economic development, social progress and environmental conservation. They are in line with the principles of sustainable development. However, they still face a number of problems and limitations (Table 2 on pp. 4–5). Table 2 Benefits and problems/limitations of the forest management measures in Indonesia Benefit Problem/Limitation Ban  Preserve/Restore the rainforests  High monitoring costs deforestation  Minimize illegal deforestation  High costs and difficulty in enforcing laws  Protect endangered species. For due to the vastness and remoteness of the example, it is estimated that the ban rainforests has protected 3 million hectares of  Local and native communities patrolling habitats for Sumatran elephants and the rainforests may face violence and Sumatran tigers crimes when enforcing the laws  Encourage the expansion of  Corruption may hinder effective law plantations into degraded land or enforcement previously cleared land instead of  As the ban only covers primary forests, primary forests secondary forests may still face the  Encourage plantation owners to problem of deforestation. Human-induced apply more sustainable practices forest fires and other illegal land-clearing  Maintain the living space for local practices may degrade primary forests into and native communities secondary forests, thus reducing the effectiveness of the ban Set up  Preserve the rainforests  It is estimated that over 70% of protected  Promote economic development in a Indonesia’s biodiversity is found outside of areas and non-destructive way protected areas. Thus, many species are develop still threatened  Compared to traditional farming, ecotourism  Lower economic returns than other ecotourism creates jobs and brings higher and more stable income for commercial activities, e.g. plantation local and native peoples, thus agriculture and logging improving their livelihood and  High management and monitoring costs reducing poverty  High costs and difficulty in enforcing laws  Increase government revenues by due to the vastness and remoteness of the charging entrance fees protected areas  Have more money for conservation  Tourists and the building of infrastructure projects and tourist facilities may pollute or  Preserve the culture, ways of life and damage the environment living space of native peoples  Too many tourists may disturb the  Can serve as an educational tool peaceful life of native peoples Encourage  Secure the income for local and  Some poor and marginalised groups may public native peoples, thus improving their be ignored participation livelihood and reducing poverty  Some poor people prefer to exploit the  Respect the culture and rights of forests for higher income local and native communities, as  Some people prefer to establish individual well as maintain their living space ownership rights to the land, rather than sharing the land with their communities Senior Secondary Exploring Geography Third Edition (RMA 2024) © Oxford University Press (China) Ltd 2024 4 Part 6 Disappearing green canopy Extended reading Benefit Problem/Limitation Regulate  Promote economic development in a  High monitoring and production costs to logging and non-destructive way employ sustainable practices, e.g. plantations  Meet the market demand for forest reduced-impact logging products  Forest clearing is still involved. The  Sustain jobs and income for local complex five-layer structure of rainforest loggers and farmers vegetation cannot be maintained and biodiversity is reduced  Maintain the living space for local and native communities  Local loggers and farmers may lack capital, technology and skills to employ sustainable practices Set up eco-  Meet the market demand for green  The economic benefits produced by the product consumption certification system may not outweigh certification  Sustain jobs and income for local the costs of implementing the systems loggers and farmers sustainable practices  Encourage companies to produce  High monitoring and production costs to products in sustainable ways employ sustainable practices  Maintain the living space for local and  Consumers may need to pay higher native communities prices due to higher production costs  Increase consumers’ awareness of  Corrupt officials may allow companies to rainforest conservation obtain certification for their products illegally  The effectiveness depends on the consumers’ awareness Prevent forest  Protect the rainforests from fires  High monitoring costs fires  Minimize destructive illegal activities  High costs and difficulty in enforcing laws  Maintain the living space for local and due to the vastness and remoteness of native communities the rainforests  Local governments may lack the capital and technology (e.g. heat sensors, drones, satellites) to monitor, prevent and suppress forest fire effectively Secure  REDD+ helps conserve the carbon sink  High monitoring and management costs funding for of rainforests and ease global  Very time-consuming to settle on an conservation warming agreement with other countries  Reducing debts and maintaining or  The funding from international increasing income for the government donations, REDD+ and debt reduction can improve peoples’ livelihoods and may not be sustainable to support long- reduce poverty term conservation because they depend heavily on the global economic environment  Corrupt officials may make use of the funding illegally while local and native communities are not benefited Contributed by: Ip Kim Wai, Lam Chi Chung, Ho Sau Hung, Tsui Sau Ngan, Chan Ting Yu, Lam Choi Ying, Ng Wing Chun and Yu Wai Ching Senior Secondary Exploring Geography Third Edition (RMA 2024) © Oxford University Press (China) Ltd 2024 5