Policy Options to Reduce CO2 Release Resulting from Deforestation and Biomass Burning in Indonesia

Abstract

There are 144 Mha tropical forests in Indonesia, of which 64 Mha are “Production Forest”s and 31 Mha are “Conversion Forest”s. These are subject to deforestation with a rate of 1.3 Mha/yr. The deforestation is followed by changes in land use, mainly for agriculture, man-made forests and settlements. Such activities have released carbon to the atmosphere by as much as 192 Tg C/yr. New plantations are expected to contribute in stabilising the carbon budget by taking up some 210 Tg C/yr. by the year 2030. Policies to be implemented in order to improve the forest resource, hence increase carbon sequestering, may include options to maintain existing sinks through sustainable forest management and expand new sinks through industrial forest plantations and estate crops on abandoned and so called critical lands. In addition, “participatory” forest practices may be promoted to reduce shifting cultivation as a source of greenhouse gasses.