Across Indonesia, traditional practices such as li belonging to the country’s myriad ethnic groups and communities are part of the ongoing efforts to protect the environment and its vital ecosystems, especially in the face of deforestation. are deeply intertwined.
The number began to decline from 2016, following rampant deforestation that wiped out 3 million hectares of forest between 2009 and 2015. This change may be due, at least in part, to government policies such as moratoriums on logging of old-growth forests and peatlands. . The Indonesian government reported that 104,032 hectares of forest disappeared from 2021 to 2022.
However, deforestation remains a threat, driven primarily by global demand for palm oil and other goods and the need to create jobs and earn foreign exchange.
Empowering community forestry programs
In 2016, the Indonesian government pledged to transfer 12.7 million hectares of state-owned land to local communities within five years, recognizing the important role that local communities play in protecting the environment. The initiative, which aims to reduce carbon emissions and foster biodiversity by slowing deforestation, has given local communities ownership of 4.7 million hectares of forest by 2022.
“Local communities are the best guardians of forests. They deeply understand the ecosystems they call home and have a vested interest in managing them sustainably,” said the Ministry of Economic Coordination, Food and Agriculture. said Mudalifah Makmud, the undersecretary in charge. Indonesia: “When local communities have safe access to forest lands and resources, they have the best chance of protecting them for future generations.”
The village of Gunung Sarihan in Sumatra shows what community-led forest management can achieve. Communities threatened by the expansion of palm plantations banded together to apply for “hutan desa” or village forest status, thereby securing the legal right to protect and manage their forests. Village forestry is one of the five social forestry schemes in Indonesia.
Villagers now patrol the forest weekly to prevent illegal activities such as logging and encroachment. “If there is a threat, we can now ask the government for help,” said Darmus, chairman of the Gunung Salihan village forest management committee.
Private investment is key
In addition to social forestry schemes such as the Village Forestry Model, private investment also forms part of Indonesia’s Forest and Other Land Use (FOLU) NetSync 2030 Strategy, which aims to make forests netsync by 2030. This is an ambitious plan to turn it into a natural resource.
“Private investment is important because when you ask local people to look after their forests, they need resources to develop alternative livelihoods,” says UN Environment Indonesia, a flagship partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme. – said Bambang Alifatmi, National Coordinator of the REDD Program. (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) support efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
On the island of Sumatra, community-based company Alam Siak Lestari is investing in new ways to help islanders live sustainably.
By re-flooding canals previously dug to drain peatlands, the company created a snakehead fish farm. Fish are harvested not only for food, but also to make albumin and other proteins that can be used in medicine. By-products are used as animal feed and fertilizer.
“Alam Siak Lestari’s investment has expanded employment opportunities for our community,” says Saeed Asnawi, a fish farmer from Bansour village.
Towards a future where we share profits
In Indonesia, the UN-REDD program provides technical assistance to the government to help it access results-based finance and ensure that forest protection and management efforts deliver social and economic benefits. Masu. Climate Mitigation through Social Forestry Activities in ASEAN Countries, a UN-REDD regional initiative launched in 2022, will focus on building community capacity on forest management issues and exploring opportunities to generate income and more resilient livelihoods. is guessing.
“The benefits of Indonesia’s strengthened policies and practices to manage deforestation, as outlined in the FOLU Net Absorption 2030 Strategy, are already being seen,” said Lakshmi Dewanti, Director-General of Climate Change at Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forests. . It is decreasing and attracting domestic and foreign loans. ”
But for Indonesia, winning the fight against deforestation means ensuring that countries have an incentive to protect their forests. “$5 a ton is not enough to incentivize countries to maintain their forests,” Dewanty says. “We need to set the right price for carbon.”
Over the past four years, Indonesia has made significant progress in controlling peatland fires through peatland restoration and reducing deforestation. The experience shows that social forestry and private investment can play an important role in combating deforestation and keeping forests intact to combat climate change. This progressive model, which experts say could be replicated in other parts of Asia and beyond, reflects a broader commitment to collaborative and sustainable forest management.
Sectoral solutions to the climate crisis
UNEP is at the forefront of supporting the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperature rise to below 2°C and reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. To achieve this, UNEP has developed Sectoral Solutions, a roadmap to pursue climate stability and reduce emissions across sectors, in line with the commitments of the Paris Agreement. Her six sectors identified are: Industry; Agriculture and Food. Forests and land use. transportation; and buildings and cities.
