NEW REDD+ AGENCY ESTABLISHED, TO HELP IMPROVE FOREST MANAGEMENT By Fardah

     Jakarta, Sept 20, 2013 (Antara) - To demonstrate its commitment towards reducing gas emissions, the Indonesian government has recently established a new agency to implement the "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation Plus" (REDD+) programme.

 
The REDD+ Managing Agency has been set up based on the Presidential Regulation No. 62 Year 2013 on Managing Agency for the Reduction of Emission from Deforestation and Degradation of Forest and Peatlands, which was signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on August 31, 2013.

 
The agency has also been established as a follow up to President Yudhoyono's commitment towards cutting down gas emissions, which was announced for the first time at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, United States, in September of 2009.

 
Yudhoyono had stated at the Summit that Indonesia was crafting a policy that would help cut emissions by 26 percent by 2020 from the "business as usual" (BAU) levels, but with international support, he was confident Indonesia could reduce emissions by as much as 41 percent.

 
With it's about 137 million hectares of forest area, Indonesia is home to the world's third largest forest area after Brazil and Congo. The country, however, has often been accused of being a major CO2 emitter, owing to rampant illegal logging activities and frequent forest fires.

 
REDD+ is an alternative mechanism that will help cut global carbon dioxide emissions in developing nations. Under the scheme, forested nations will receive financial incentives for protecting their forests. The 'plus' sign in the programme¿s name refers to additional financial incentives given to countries that will launch projects to plant trees, conserve forest areas and boost carbon retention.

 
The national REDD+ Agency is replacing the REDD+ Task Force, which was established by Presidential Decree No. 19 of 2010 and issued in May 2010, following the signing of a Letter of Intent between Indonesia and Norway, related to the implementation of REDD+.

 
One of the programme's tasks is to monitor the REDD+ G to G (government to government) agreement between Indonesia and Norway, which has agreed to grant over US$1 billion in aid, which will be handed out in gradual instalments. They will help reduce emissions stemming from deforestation in the Indonesia's forests and peatland.

 
According to the Presidential Decree on the REDD+ Managing Agency, the new agency will be based in Jakarta and will be tasked with helping the President coordinate, synchronize, plan, facilitate, manage, monitor, oversee and control REDD+ in Indonesia.

 
The government is yet to announce the name of the agency's head and his deputies.

 
Reporting directly to the President, the head of the REDD+ Managing Agency will hold financial and administrative rights, as well as other facilities that are at par with Ministers.

 
The agency's head will have four deputies, who will be directly subordinate and accountable to the head. The head will also have a professional staff consisting of expert assistants, assistants, junior assistants and skilled staff, amounting to not more than 60 individuals.

 
To help perform his tasks, functions and exert authority, the head of the REDD+ Managing Agency can form special teams or task forces to address particular issues.

 
The agency is also obligated to provide benefits with regards to the maintenance of ecosystem services, the conservation of biodiversity and improve the livelihoods of the indigenous people and local communities.

 
In order to achieve its objectives, the agency will develop a national REDD+ strategy and a national safeguards framework, coordinate REDD+ financing and mainstreaming REDD+ policies, according to a statement released by the Indonesian cabinet secretary's office.

 
A successful implementation of REDD+ in Indonesia will be entirely dependent on institutional reform. Till date, activities related to REDD+ have been dispersed into various lines of Ministries and between locals.

 
Therefore, coordination between central and local government institutions is needed, so that the REDD+ implementation can run in tandem with an integrated system.

 
"The process of establishing the new agency has been long and complex. It is hoped that it will improve the prosperity of local communities and customary societies, whose livelihoods depend on forests," Agus Purnomo, a special presidential staffer on climate change, pointed out in a statement.

 
The agency will also be responsible for monitoring and reporting on REDD+ programmes, ensuring compliance and supporting participation in international processes.

 
A scientist with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) hailed the new agency, saying that it signaled progress in the country's efforts to tackle global warming.

 
"I congratulate the announcement of the establishment of this long-awaited agency," said Daniel Murdiyarso, a principal scientist with CIFOR. "However, this is only the beginning of huge tasks associated with forest and land governance," he added.

 
However, NGOs grouped in the Civil Society Coalition to Save Indonesian Forests and Global Climate questioned the establishment process and the substance of the Presidential Regulation No. 62/2013.

 
The Coalition suggested that the REDD+ Agency should be granted more room and power to evaluate the performance of exploitative sectors, including the forestry, mining, and agriculture/plantation sectors.

 
They also hoped that the REDD+ Agency does not become trapped in a project approach because the complexity of forestry problems in Indonesia will never be solved with projects, no matter how big the money involved.

 
"This is because the fundamental problem is not money but rather political will," the Coalition said in the statement issued in September 2013. ***4***
(f001/INE/O001)

EDITED BY INE

(T.F001/A/BESSR/O. Tamindael) 20-09-2013 14:24:43