The World Bank has called on all nations to act on climate change by making a shift to green technologies, a scheme in which Indonesia could gain up to US$300 million in grants or soft loans to fund low-carbon energy projects. The World Bank pledged to provide about $3.6 million in grants for technical assistance to help Indonesia prepare for the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) initiative. Climate expert from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Daniel Murdiyarso said Indonesia could gain about $15 billion from the REDD mechanism.

Kutai National Park is in East Kalimantan, a conservation area for endangered and vulnerable animals and rare fauna that, environmental activists say, is in danger of being split apart for its natural resources including vast deposits of coal. “Kutai is the only low-land tropical rainforest that exists in Indonesia. It has a very rich biodiversity and is a home to some orangutan, [among the] most endangered species,” said Moira Moeliono, a senior researcher at the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research.

The total amount of carbon emissions that could be stored in Indonesian forests is still “unsettled” given possible impacts of regional autonomy and severe threats of forest fires. A climate expert from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Daniel Murdiyarso predicted Indonesia could earn up to $15 billion of financial incentives by avoiding forest destruction under the REDD mechanism. Indonesia is the first country to issue a regulation on REDD, allowing indigenous peoples, local authorities, private organizations and businesspeople, both local and foreign, to run REDD projects.

Para peneliti mulai giat untuk mencari cara dan mendiskusikan metodelogi pendekatan dalam mengukur keberhasilan penurunan emisi gas rumah kaca (GRK) akibat deforestasi dalam sebuah lokarkarya IPB International Convention Centre (IICC). Lokarkarya seputar reduction emission from deforestation and degradation (REDD) adalah hasil kerja sama Pusat Pengelolaan Risiko dan Peluang Iklim Kawasan Asia Tenggara dan Pasifik (CCROM SEAP) IPB dengan CIFOR (Centre for International Forestry Research), berharap hasil dari lokakarya dapat mengukur keberhasilan Indonesia dalam menekan emisi GRK.

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Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) meresmikan Pusat Pengelolaan Risiko dan Peluang Iklim Kawasan Asia Pasifik (CCROM SEAP), untuk memberi pemahaman yang lebih baik kepada masyarakat mengenai perubahan iklim serta membangun kapasitas untuk mengelola risiko dan memanfaatkan peluang. Peresmian CCROM SEAP dilakukan Rektor IPB Dr Ir Herry Suhardiyanto di Bogor, bersamaan dengan digelarnya lokakarya mengenai metodologi skema pengurangan emisi dari penggundulan dan pengrusakkan hutan (REDD) bekerja sama dengan Pusat Studi Kehutanan Internasional (CIFOR).

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The government said that the local communities and project developers in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scheme should benefit more than the government. The government’s share of the revenue would be used to offset any CO2 emission from REDD projects. CIFOR would research dozens of REDD pilot projects in Indonesia, Bolivia, Cameroon, Tanzania and Brazil to see their national policies on the projects. Several private firms have currently developed REDD pilot projects. Daniel Murdiyarso, A senior climate scientist at the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) said pilot projects were important to develop assessable methodology and regulatory measures once the Copenhagen meeting had agreed on the REDD scheme.

CIFOR launched a new website Tuesday focusing on REDD issues. The website is www.redd-indonesia.org which jointly managed by the CIFOR, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia and the Indonesian Environmental Information Center (PILI)

Similar stories appeared in Kompas Cyber Media

Metsien hävittämisen hillitseminen olisi hyvä ja nopea tapa vähentää päästöjä, sanoo Kansainvälisen metsäntutkimuslaitoksen CIFOR:n tutkimusjohtaja Markku Kanninen. Esimerkiksi energiateknologian ja teollisuuden prosessien uudistaminen vaatii paljon aikaa. Yksinkertaisesti ajatellen riittää, että metsät vain jätettäisiin rauhaan. Kyse ei kuitenkaan olisi mahdottomista rahasummista. Metsän hävittämisestä lähtevien päästöjen puolittaminen maksaisi CIFOR:n arvion mukaan 10 – 30 miljardia dollaria vuodessa. Tämä on suunnilleen sama summa kuin mitä kehitysmaiden metsäsektori saa länsimaista investointeina ja kehitysapuna.