Indonesia’s moratorium on logging, palm oil concessions may be inadequate

 

 

…details of the moratorium, which was a condition under Indonesia’s billion dollar forest conservation partnership with Norway and was supposed to be signed January 1, won’t be released until Friday, leaving it unclear what types of forest will be protected from logging and conversion to plantations. The moratorium will certainly include primary forests, but natural forests that have high conservation value and carbon stocks may still be left on the chopping block.

via mongabay.com.

Global Companies Slated to Go Green At Business Meet

 

More than 200 companies from around the globe are expected to attend a key summit in Jakarta this week, where they will sign a pledge to cut their carbon emissions and adopt eco-friendly practices.

The commitment is one of the highlights of the Business for Environment summit (B4E), led annually by the World Wildlife Fund, which runs from Thursday through Friday. A pre-summit event it held on Wednesday.

The meeting encourages executives and entrepreneurs to help solve pressing environmental issues by creating green economies, protecting biodiversity and reducing their carbon footprints. It also promotes the UN’s forestry conservation program.

via The Jakarta Globe.

Indonesia, Finland sign agreement to promote renewable energy

Indonesia and Finland signed an agreement to start a bilateral program to promote the utilization of wood-based biomass and agricultural residues as renewable energy sources in Central Kalimantan and Riau province on Monday.

via The Jakarta Post.

Golden Agri turns over a green leaf

Any thoughts? Especially skeptical ones?

The move – seen as a response to intense pressure and lobbying by green groups such as Greenpeace recently over allegations of illegal forest clearing – will not have a significant impact or cost on its operations, said the firm.

GAR is the world’s No.2 palm oil producer and the largest in Indonesia with annual revenues of US$2.3 billion (S$2.9 billion). It signed a deal on Wednesday in Jakarta with The Forest Trust (TFT), a Geneva- based non-profit organisation, which will start work now with GAR to identify high carbon-stock forests, high conservation value (HCV) areas and peat lands.

via Straits Times.

Indonesia delays deforestation ban

If they wait longer, the forests might not be there for them to protect:

Indonesia’s planned two-year moratorium on deforestation to have begun this month has been postponed. Two government ministries are still trying to reach consensus and agree details of the moratorium on permits to convert natural forests and peatlands, according to the ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report. Views differ on how much and which types of forests should be covered in the moratorium and there is yet no consensus on whether current forest concession- holders will still be permitted to clear any forest or whether they will be included in the ban and be compensated.

via Carbon positive.

How far is Jakarta from becoming a livable city?

Jakarta has been serving as the capital of Indonesia and a center of business activities for decades.

With an area of 661.52 square kilometers, Jakarta is home to 9.6 million people (2010).

In addition, every workday approximately 1.1 million people enter Jakarta from the neighboring cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi for work or school.

How are people coping with daily life in Jakarta? Have we achieved livable city conditions? There are five fundamental aspects of livable cities: regional connections, walkability, strong neighborhoods, a network of attractive public spaces and affordability. Do we feel better and healthier? Let’s look at the conditions of our daily routines.

Have we ever thought that our daily commute to the office, school, or other activities should be a joyful, safe and interesting trip? Jakartans hardly find such a pleasant situation in their daily trip. Most of us, especially people from around Jakarta, start the day by leaving early in the morning, often before sunrise, to reach our destinations.

The number of private vehicles is estimated at 8 million which fill Jakarta’s streets, which account for only about 6.2 percent of the city’s total metropolitan area.

If the government relies only on the business as usual strategy to overcome the chaotic traffic, people will be trapped in congestion for a long time, rather than enjoying the trip. And slowly but surely, our daily trip will become a source of psychological stress.

via The Jakarta Post.

Finally! Palm oil companies recognise the value of forests

The annual RSPO meeting was held in Jakarta last week, and members voted in favour of our proposal. This means that the RSPO must now publish a position statement recognising the value of secondary and degraded forests, and make sure that plantation companies and auditors don’t just write them off as dead wood.

Whilst we’re pleased with the result of the vote, the RSPO is a voluntary initiative, representing less than half of Indonesian palm oil companies, and not all RSPO-member companies have been following the rules. To really safeguard these forests, the Indonesian government needs to recognise their value as well.

via Greenpeace UK.

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