Ary Hermawan and Stevie Emilia, Denpasar/Bali – Forest-rich countries' plan to push for incentives to conserve their forests as carbon sinks is considered crucial in the global effort to combat climate change, but is making activists uneasy.
Activists have raised concerns that the proposal, Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) in Developing Countries, might threaten people's ownership over forests.
"Indonesia will count the potential revenue from its forests according to its capacity to absorb carbon to reduce emissions.
"If the UN climate change conference reaches an agreement (on the proposal)..., what will happen to people's rights of ownership over their forests," said Hira Jhamtani of the Third World Network, an international NGO that lobbies on globalization and environmental issues.
Hira was speaking during a limited discussion with Bali-based environment activists from Sloka Institute, the Bali-chapter of the Indonesian Environment Institute (Walhi) and the Bali-chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).
Indonesia, backed by seven other forest-rich countries, plans to push the REDD proposal during the ongoing UN climate change conference in Bali, hoping REDD will be taken into account post-2012, when the first commitment phase of the Kyoto Protocol expires.
The Protocol, which requires, by 2012, developed nations to cut their carbon emissions by 5 percent from the 1990 levels, does not cover incentive mechanisms on efforts to prevent forest conversion.
The Indonesian government and businesses alike are expecting to reap large benefits from REDD. With 37.5 million hectares of healthy forests currently, it is expected that the incentive mechanism could provide the country with US3.75 billion (Rp33.75 trillion) in cash.
Former Indonesian environment minister Emil Salim, who leads the country's delegates in the conference, said earlier that REDD's funding must be assessed in dynamic terms by insisting on deeper emission cuts by developed countries.
During his presentation 'Forest issues in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its relevancy to Indonesia,' Emil said that financial agreements of REDD should be explored in relation to institutional arrangements, including technology transfer.
"Post-2012 must include the full implementation of REDD, informed from the REDD pilot projects of 2008-2012," Emil said during his presentation at the national workshop of the Indonesia Forest Climate Alliance. Third World Network's Hira said she believed, however, that the proposed REDD scheme would cause complexities and difficulties for people, who have long relied on the forests for their livelihood.
"Will there be a watchdog agency from the United Nations overseeing the protection of the traded forests?" she asked.
Hira pointed out indigenous communities, who have long survived collecting firewood and food from forests, would be affected by the proposed scheme. "We know that some of the traditional communities living in the country's national forests still protect and live from the forests," she said.
Hira said she hoped that civil society organizations would keep an eye on the (REDD) negotiations, although she said it would not be easy to stop, because it has been listed as one of the national agendas during the climate change conference. "We have to be smart in dealing with this issue."
An activist from Walhi, Agung Wardana, said that developed countries were now eyeing the right to manage the country's forests, including the West Bali National Park forest, because the future of global business would be centered on biodiversity. "Forests are being studied to find new products that will be copyrighted and turned into a commodity," he said.