Louis Verchot, leading climate scientist at CIFOR, is interviewed by CNN in this special report on efforts in Indonesia to slow the rate of deforestation.
JAMBI, Indonesia _ Rainforest covers 60 percent of Indonesia, yet this developing country is among the world’s highest carbon emitters The reason: it has one of the world’s fastest rates of deforestation, mainly for palm oil production. As trees are felled, the carbon stored in them and the soil is released into the atmosphere.
Scientists with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Daniel Murdiyarso, Kristell Hergoualc’h and Louis Verchot call for a special focus on peatlands in any future deal on REDD+.
BOGOR, Indonesia — Massive amounts of carbon are being released into the atmosphere as swathes of forests growing on peat swamps in Southeast Asia are being converted to palm oil plantations, prompting scientists to call for a special focus on them in the upcoming climate talks, China’s Xinhua news agency reported citing a press statement here.
CIFOR scientist Daniel Murdiyarso was interviewed by Reuters on the destruction of the Sumatran tigers’ habitat. He said that poor planning and a lack of coordination between regional and central governments have undermined forest protection efforts in Indonesia. “Conflicting spatial planning is the general problem. Everybody has their own idea of land classification. If someone says this area is protected but another says it is not, that’s the problem,” he said. “The role of coordinating agencies should be strengthened.”
CIFOR scientist Krystof Obidzinski is interviewed by Reuters on deforestation in Papua in Indonesia. His comments were used in a story about authorities launching an investigation into claims that illegal logging contributed to floods that have killed at least 145 people.
CIFOR’s Director General Frances Seymour and several scientists and researchers contributed significantly to this 14-page Special Report. The magazine’s editorial captures the tone of the article with the headline, “There is hope for forests, but mankind needs to move faster if they are to be saved.” It says that it would be a “tragedy” if funding to save the world’s remaining forests can not be secured amid unprecedented challenges to the planet from climate change.
Daniel Murdiyarso, senior scientist at the West Java-based Center for International Forestry Research said the moratorium on the issue of new permits to clear natural and peatland forests could affect many production forests. “So if your mining concession is intersecting with production forest then it’s very likely they will be affected. Most of the mining sectors, especially coal, will be affected.” Indonesia has said existing permits would be honoured but Murdiyarso said it was unclear if the exemption applied if the firms planned to clear the forest after the moratorium comes into effect in January 2011.
Yulia Rahma Fitriana menjelaskan seputar maraknya perkebunan kopi yang melanggar batas wilayah taman nasional yang juga menjadi rumah bagi Harimau Sumatera. Adakah cara agar masyarakat bisa tetap memproduksi kopi sekaligus memberi ruang hidup bagi harimau Sumatera? Apa betul tidak ada jalan tengah di sana? Bagaimana mencapai keseimbangan antara penyelamatan harimau Sumatera dan produksi kopi? Hal ini menjadi penting mengingat Taman Nasional Bukit Barisan Selatan adalah salah satu UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Keanekaragaman hayati mencakup berbagai macam ekosistem. Hutan termasuk didalamnya. Keberadaan hutan juga sangat penting bagi kehidupan manusia. Hutan mengatur persediaan air dan menyerap karbon. Agar kamu tahu kondisi hutan di Indonesia, baca data yang disusun oleh CIFOR berikut ini, yuk !