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 !

Peneliti senior dari Lembaga Center for International Forestry Research (Cifor), Daniel Murdiyarso, mengatakan, persoalan penting sekarang ini salah satunya adalah makin hilangnya berbagai biodiversitas atau keanekaragaman hayati. Kehilangan biodiversitas secara tidak langsung bisa berdampak terhadap kelangsungan pangan. Presiden ATBC Profesor Frans Bongers, dalam konferensi pers pencanangan Deklarasi Bali dari konferensi ATBC 2010, menyatakan, dengan banyaknya keanekaragaman hayati yang terjaga dengan baik, kita dapat berbuat banyak untuk mencapai hal-hal yang lebih baik.

Herry Purnomo, peneliti dari Center for International Forestry Research (Cifor), menyebutkan harga di pasar karbon sangat tergantung pada keputusan politik di level internasional, karena pembelian karbon yang dilakukan secara sukarela (voluntary basis) belum berjalan dengan baik. “Ini [REDD] memang bukan common business, di mana permintaan dan penawaran tercipta berdasarkan kebutuhan. Ini sangat tergantung pada kesepakatan internasional. Semua orang bisa melihat bagaimana lemahnya keinginan politik yang ada saat forum UNFCCC di Copenhagen tahun lalu. Itu sebabnya harga karbon terus turun,” jelas Herry kepada Bisnis.com, Rabu.