Indonesia REDD network

On Wednesday, on the eve of the Oslo Forest and Climate Conference, the Indonesian Government announced that it is placing a two-year moratorium on the granting of new concessions to clear natural forests and peatlands. The moratorium appears to be a key element of the Government's commitment under a $1 billion agreement signed on Wednesday by the Governments of Indonesia and Norway.

With the traditional ringing of the gong by Minister of Forestry H.E. Zulkifli Hasan, Indonesia's UN-REDD National Programme is underway. UN Indonesia Resident Coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih (second from left) and Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia H.E., Eivend S. Homme, (second from right) look on.

Earlier this week, Australian Climate Change and Water Minister Sen. Penny Wong and Indonesian Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan announced the establishment of an A$30 million (US$27 million) Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership. The project will focus on reducing deforestation and degradation in Sumatra's Jambi province, which in recent years has lost more than two-thirds of its forests to illegal loggers, slash-and-burn farming, fire and palm oil and pulp plantations. Funds to be provided under the Partnership will be used to address the causes of deforestation in Jambi and to help rehabilitate deforested or degraded land. Specific pilot sites have yet to be determined, but will likely cover various forest concession types. Key issues to be addressed will be the development of alternative sustainable livelihoods and the design of incentive payment schemes for local communities.

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has issued a report titled "Financial governance and Indonesia’s Reforestation Fund during the Soeharto and post-Soeharto periods, 1989–2009: A political economic analysis of lessons for REDD+". The report assesses the financial management of one of the world's largest national forest funds and draws lessons for coming REDD efforts. It highlights the fact that the Reforestation Fund has been dogged by corruption issues; for example, Ernst & Young documented losses of $5.2 billion in public funds between 1993 and 1998.