Implementing Best Practices of Sustainable Forestry for Scaling up Efforts of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation ~ Forest for Life

Indonesia believes that the role of ADP is very important for enhancing ambition and to close the ambition gap of policy and actions of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

As we are aware, Bali Action Plan 2007 is a turning point for forest-related mitigation and adaptation as well as land based efforts as stated on Decision 1 and Decision 2 of COP13. The scope of forestry on the Decision 1/CP.13 article 1.b.iii widely accommodates forestry efforts particularly in influencing CO2 cycle by reducing deforestation and forest degradation, conservation of forests, sustainable management of forest and enhancing forest carbon stocks, as today we know as REDD+.

Indonesia had been voluntarily committed to reduce the emissions by 26 up to 41% by 2020 as stated by President Yudhoyono during the G-20 Summit in 2009. This commitment had been regulated through Presidential Decree number 61/2011 concerning the National Action Plan on GHG Emission Reduction, where approximately 87% of the national targets imposing on forest and peatland areas.

Starting with re-explaining our maintained forest cover data in term of climate change, Indonesia had announced the 15 years Indonesia rate of deforestation (refer to UNFCCC COP 18 side event) which decreased significantly from the highest rate of almost 4 million hectares per year between period of 1997-2000 to 0.45 million hectares by 2011. This is our long work program based on international system such as FAO, FRA mention some by María José Sánz Sánchez, and ITTO. The results and methodology have been discussed deeply in the two days international experts meeting in Jakarta recently (refer to Asia Views, March 2013). This is very important for quantifying the carbon forests and also as an instrument of governance.

In line with the Bali Action Plan (REDD, carbon conservation, sustainable forest management, and enhancing forest carbon stock), some best practices have been done mainly combating illegal logging, improving regulations, and more works on the national movement of tree planting program (1 billion trees for the world every year since 2010). Promoting innovation on SFM is included combining forestry program with renewable biomass energy transforming fuel wood knowledge to wood pellet and in the future potential for wood methanol by community and private sector under the Indonesia Climate Change Trust Fund. This is in line with yesterday presentation by Dolf Gielen from IRENA. To mention some of innovation, the root induction system could shorter the economic cycle of teak plantation to only 5 years, and for natural forest we can increase yield by 3 to 10 fold by doing silviculture intensive management system. Indonesia believes we could do much more.

By reducing CO2 in the atmosphere, forestry activities are not only low-carbon activities, in fact they are carbon-neutral activities. Therefore, forestry could address the development, by delivering a high value of green development and economy. This is in line with what Riccardo Valentini just highlight the global anthropogenic Carbon stays 28% in forests and 46% in the atmosphere. Riccardo Valentini asked how to balance, so the forestry activities could increase 28% sink and reduce 46% CO2 atmosphere.

Being part of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), Indonesia would like to highlight the 10th session resolution 2013 which are related to climate change and finance, such as reiterates the vital role and significant contribution of all types of forests in addressing climate change, and to promote the development of both market and non-market-based approaches for sustainable forest management.

Various regulations have also been issued at the ministerial level in Indonesia; those will be adjusted dynamically based on the key stakeholder ability as well as dynamic of the national and the international dialogue.

Forestry also plays an important role for Agriculture. Indonesia as an agriculture country, need to provide crop to feed our growing population, which is now approaching 250 million people. However, at the same time agriculture sector also has to contribute in reducing our GHG emission in support to the national target. The government is now putting the adaptation programs as the top priority for agricultural sector. All of the efforts are now packed and integrated into what so called “Indonesian Carbon Efficient Farming” (ICEF), which is basically an integration of mitigation and adaptation actions especially in the paddy rice field in Indonesia.

Through this important workshop, Indonesia would like to emphasize that the Indonesian forestry and agriculture with its all potential, and the advantages of tropical region, is ready with the initiation and example of best practices for the climate change mitigation and adaptation, and being able to scale up the efforts of achieving the world emission reduction target. The availability of financial and investment scheme are the key component to reach the ambition to transform actions into low carbon development while cleaning up CO2 in the atmosphere.

Through cooperation and knowledge sharing among tropical and non-tropical forest countries, and by expanding the cooperation among countries in the world on sustainable use of forest products, green renewable energy and new commodity of forest carbon through market and non-market mechanism are essential for the best practices related to land use. The rule of cooperation to enhance ambition and to fulfill the gap should be simple but workable, this is a kind of leadership of ADP that we all need.

Bonn, 1st of May 2013

Indonesia Delegates

Presented by:

Dr. Yetti Rusli, MSc.

Senior Adviser to the Minister of Forestry Indonesia on Environment and Climate Change

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