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Previous Dialogues AFP Dialogue 2010 Meeting Materials Presentations
Previous Dialogues AFP Dialogue 2010 Meeting Materials Presentations |
Presenters and Abstracts |
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Plenary 1 Many countries in the region are rich in forest resources and engaged in REDD+ readiness activities or projects. Many are also introducing reforms in forest tenure, governance, transparency requirements and other areas. These countries are experiencing the highest rates of deforestation. Initiatives to improve governance are urgently required to save the forests and achieve long-term, real emissions reductions and enhancement of carbon stocks, as well as the broader objectives of sustainable forest management. This is not a simple task. Billions of dollars have already been spent toward improving forest governance and management, yet the impacts on deforestation rates remain unclear and estimates remain high. An expert panel and discussions will answer questions such as: What are the main national-level governance challenges faced by REDD+ initiatives? To what degree is there an opportunity for REDD+ to promote policies such as tenure reform that might also help combat illegal logging? Is REDD+ shaping forest governance or is forest governance shaping REDD+? What lessons can be learned?
Daju Resosudarmo
Elena Petkova ABSTRACT not yet available
Wandoyo Siswanto
ABSTRACT The plan for REDD+ in Indonesia, known as REDDI, had been developed to be established in three phases. The first phase of preparation, took place in 2007–2008. Readiness will be carried out in 2009–2012. Full implementation will be put into place after 2012, depending on Indonesian readiness and forthcoming COP decisions. Decentralised governance that reaches all the way to the district level is the goal. Indonesia plans to develop a national approach to REDD+ with implementation at the local level. National REDD strategy was developed in Phase I. During Phase II, the policies and measures proposed in national REDD strategies will be implemented and tested. Full implementation of REDD+ will occur in Phase III. Full implementation will depend on Indonesia's readiness and COP decisions on REDD+ mechanisms. While REDD+ is in the key development stage, numerous demonstration and voluntary activities are occurring throughout the country. Nine demonstration activities have been developed under international partnership between the Government of Indonesia and AUSAID, GTZ-Merang, GTZ-FORCLIME, TNC, ITTO, KOICA and UN-REDD. Some voluntary activities are being developed mainly for carbon credit purposes. Even though Indonesia's REDD+ strategy is in place and readiness activities are in progress, some issues remain to be addressed through research activities: establishment of REL at national level, REL/RL at the subnational level and issues relating to development of MRV systems both at national and subnational levels.
Trieu Thai Hung
ABSTRACT Vietnam was recognised as one of the top five most affected countries in the world as a result of climate change. It has received consideration attention from international bodies because it is identified as a country in need of forest restoration and sustainable management of highly biodiverse natural tropical forests. Some major initiatives, such as the World Bank REDD Program, UN-REDD and the Australian, Dutch and German international development cooperation agencies have begun. However, many projects are focusing on strengthening capacity and readiness for REDD while, in contrast, no commercial REDD or REDD+ project has been initiated. REDD + is new to Vietnam, and international requirements concerning management of REDD+ revenues are likely to require approaches to governance and a degree of legal certainty that have not been encountered in similar schemes such as PFES, or the 661 programme. Furthermore, REDD+ brings with it legal concepts that are novel to the country, such as ownership or rights to forest carbon. In order to facilitate REDD+ implementation, the legal framework in which REDD+ operates should be equitable, effective and efficient in order to meet international expectations. It should clearly define rights, particularly those of communities living in and around forest areas. Three specific legal issues to need to be addressed as a priority: (1) The rights to carbon, land and forests, particularly forest allocation and associated land use rights; (2) The coordination of the action of the government authorities involved with REDD+ and (3) Ensuring that all legitimate beneficiaries are recognised, in particular addressing the legal status of local communities.
Chen Xiaoqian
ABSTRACT According to China's latest seventh National Forest Inventory (2003–2008), China's forested area reached 195 million ha. Forest coverage rate is 20.36%, and forest standing stock volume is 14.9 billion m3. State-owned forest land accounted for about 42.5% and collective forest land accounted for 57.6% of total forest land. China began the first round forest tenure reforms in the mid 1980s. Termed the 'three fixes', the reforms allow the allocation of collective forest management rights to households on a contractual basis. But given that the local community lacked confidence in the policy's stability, many places experienced huge forest loss and the policy was stopped. In 2000, a second round of forest tenure reforms was initiated. It aimed to expand and strengthen forest tenure right for farmers, improve forest management and local farmer's income and livelihoods. By June 2010, 12 provinces (Fujian, Jiangxi, Liaoying, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Hebei, Anhui, Hubei, Chongxing, Guizhou, Sichuan and Hunan) better defined and assigned forest tenure, which affected 130 million ha of forest land and accounts for 71.3% of China's total forest land. More than 61 million farmers received forest tenure certificates. In spite of this progress, institutional and management challenges remain for China's forest tenure reform.
Plenary 2 With support of international agencies, bilateral donors, NGOs, research institutes and others, governments in the Asia-Pacific region are implementing REDD+ demonstration activities. In this session, information will be shared on the latest progress of these activities and the lessons they offer. The session will consider how national policy and governance realities impact these activities. It will also give examples of REDD+ demonstration activities and the hurdles they face. This session aims to identify the challenges that REDD+ actors and implementers are facing and to explore ways in which these can be addressed through national processes both related and independent of REDD+. An expert panel and discussions will answer questions such as: What are the main governance challenges faced by actors in and implementers of REDD+? What national policies are needed to address these challenges? To what degree is there an opportunity for private initiatives or actors to contribute to addressing national level REDD+ governance challenges? What lessons can be learned?
Lex Hovani ABSTRACT The Berau Forest Carbon Program has been designed by a multistakeholder working group over the past year. In the process of evaluating sources of emissions, potential emission reduction strategies and enabling conditions required to implement a district-wide programme, this working group confronted numerous governance challenges. The presentation will offer an analysis of the challenges faced by different actors and attempt to draw conclusions about that means for different approaches to REDD+ implementation being considered in Indonesia and internationally.
Wardoyo ABSTRACT not yet available
Meine van Noordwijk ABSTRACT not yet available
Moray McLeish
ABSTRACT In May 2010, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared a policy to develop oil palm plantations on degraded land instead of forest or peatland. As part of a national REDD+ strategy to be developed under a groundbreaking $1 billion partnership with Norway, this policy has the potential to allow the palm oil industry to continue to expand—generating profits, government revenues and jobs—while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. This presentation will examine the complexities in finding a definition for an apparently simple term – degraded land- and will present experiences in actually locating such land. How to divert palm oil expansion onto degraded land and strategies for ensuring that 'saved' forest areas remain forested will be presented. Finally I will ask and offer some answers to two questions: How does the private sector see this, as opportunity or threat? And, what policy changes are needed to make this happen equitably?
Plenary 3 Countries in the region and globally have undertaken various initiatives to promote sustainable use of forests and control illegal logging and trade. Elimination of illegal logging and illegal timber trade is both a prerequisite and a key challenge for the success of REDD+. Sustainable forest management (SFM) is an approach that combines development and conservation objectives where appropriate. The session will start with a review of the scale and scope of illegal logging, efforts by several southeast Asian countries to curb it and their effectiveness. Several presentations then will explore the synergies between SFM, forest law enforcement, importation controls on timber, such as the Lacey Act, and REDD+. This session aims to explore opportunities for such initiatives to contribute to an effective and efficient implementation of REDD+. An expert panel and discussions will focus on questions such as: How do specific initiatives (e.g. the Lacey act) relate to REDD+? What are the opportunities for the initiatives to strengthen REDD+ or for REDD+ to strengthen the initiatives? What are the implications for countries in the region?
Charles Barber
ABSTRACT The United States takes a holistic approach to international forest policy, supporting conservation of natural forests, improving the sustainability of forest production, strengthening forest-related law enforcement and governance and encouraging the restoration of degraded forest lands. These efforts serve multiple goals including the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, sustainable economic development and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. In all these areas, the United States supports effective participation of indigenous and local communities in decision making and management in ways that improve their livelihoods. The United States pursues these objectives internationally through our bilateral relations, our participation in the United Nations and other multilateral institutions and processes, bilateral and multilateral development assistance and efforts to strengthen compliance with US domestic law and international obligations – such as implementation of the Lacey Act. The 2008 amendments to the Lacey Act made it illegal to import timber into the United States that was illegally harvested in the country where it was cut. It also requires an import declaration for many types of forest products specifying genus, species and country of origin. But the Lacey Act does not require any other country to amend its laws or take any other policy action. Nor does it require any particular form of 'legality verification' or other paper documentation, apart from the simple declaration form. Rather, Lacey establishes a legal incentive for US importers to exercise due care in sourcing timber imports. As a result, US importers are increasingly asking foreign suppliers to provide assurances that the timber they use was legally harvested in the country where it came from. In combination with similar pressures from other markets for stronger evidence of legality, the Lacey Act is therefore creating a positive incentive for improved forest law enforcement and governance (FLEG), and the eradication of illegal logging. Strengthening FLEG is, in turn, a key precondition for REDD readiness. It is difficult to comprehend that a country where illegal logging is still pervasive (i.e. a country that cannot keep track of its own inventory of forest carbon) could be considered REDD ready under any of the international REDD schemes currently being negotiated. To the extent that the Lacey Act provides market incentives to reduce illegal logging, it is therefore a powerful positive incentive to assist countries in benefiting from emerging REDD regimes.
Vincent van den Berk ABSTRACT not yet available
Krystof Obidzinski
Ahmad Dermawan
ABSTRACT Curbing illegal logging is an important challenge in order to implement REDD+ effectively. Since illegal logging is by its nature unreported, there is a need to use any sources of information for monitoring illegal logging and to verify the information to gauge its accuracy. At the same time, we also need to look beyond international timber trade and need to look at domestic timber trade. Anecdotal evidence suggests that domestic timber trade is as important as international trade. In addition, domestic timber trade involves thousands of small-scale operators, which often operate with little or no oversight.
Tachrir Fathoni ABSTRACT in not yet available
Eang Savet
ABSTRACT Deforestation and forest degradation contribute 20% of greenhouse gases emissions to the atmosphere and are the main causes of climate change and global warming. These atmospheric and environmental changes in turn cause floods and droughts and endanger wildlife and plant species. Climate change is responsible for the decline of agriculture production as well. Cambodia, a case in point, has seen a decrease in its forest cover: forested lands have decreased approximately 2 million ha of the total forest area in the last two decades. In light of these drastic reductions, the Royal Government of Cambodia has considered sustainable forest management and development as policy priority to improve livelihoods and reduce poverty in rural areas. Sustainable forest management will contribute to ameliorating climate change and global warming.
Kenneth G. MacDicken ABSTRACT not yet available
Working Group 1
Thomas Enters
ABSTRACT If efforts to implement reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD or now REDD+) are to be successful, the contribution of all forest stakeholders must be recognised, particularly that of poor people living in and around forests. Those with the greatest direct interest in the overall welfare of forest resources are people whose livelihoods are most closely linked to those resources, including local forest managers, local government and forestry officials, local NGOs and civil society groups concerned with forest management and above all the forest-dependent households, especially highly vulnerable people (e.g. indigenous people, women and children). Civil society groups, by which we mean academic and research institutions, advocacy groups and grassroots organisations, require training related to carbon accounting, monitoring, reporting, verification, standards and safeguards, the latest information on the developing REDD mechanism, updates on progress of national REDD+ strategies, implications of alternative benefit-sharing arrangements and the potential impacts on people and forests, amongst other issues. This presentation discusses how the Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC) builds the capacities of civil society to respond to their needs and to enable them to contribute effectively to policy and strategy development and program implementation.
Giorgio Budi Indrarto
ABSTRACT Forests are one of the major concerns when it comes to tackling climate change, especially for Indonesia. The emission from the LULUCF + forest fire in Indonesia contributed 1 057 280 GT in 2004, making Indonesia as one of the highest emitters. If we look deeper to the basic forestry problem in Indonesia, we can see the complexity that exists within Indonesian forestry. Conflicts between sectors (government institutions), tenurial problems, delineation and power relationships between national and sub national are some of the more obvious problems. REDD+ has potential to become one of the solutions. But implementing REDD+ itself could become another problem if the governance aspect and forest management aspect are not aligned. Public mistrust of the forestry sector leads public and some government agencies to be highly sceptical of the REDD+ implementation. On the other hand, some people are also very optimistic. They see the REDD+ scheme as the cure for the forestry problem. Is the REDD+ scheme on the road to becoming the answer to the complex forestry problem? Or REDD+ is just another trading scheme with no real power?
Abraham Baffoe ABSTRACT
Improved governance in a REDD strategy
Petrus Gunarso ABSTRACT The domestic timber market and consumption will be Tropenbos's next phase theme in Indonesia. Learning lessons on use of chainsaws – chainsaw milling – from Tropenbos in Ghana, West Africa as an example, timber produced using chainsaws (CSM) has constituted more than 80% of the domestic lumber market. In Indonesia, the majority of lumber consumed domestically comes from unclear sources, partly considered illegal. Legal forest concessionaires in Indonesia are only obliged to provide 5% of logs or timber produced for domestic and local consumption. This figure might be inflated because not all of that 5% figure represents timber that is actually absorbed by the local market, due to its high price. Illegal logging for domestic timber consumption is predicted to be the biggest challenge in avoiding leakage for REDD in Indonesia. With the population numbering nearly 240 million people in 2012, with average economic growth of more than 5% per annum, the need for timber for residential and infrastructure clearly surpasses the national production from legal forest concessionaires. Timber from other resources will be coming mainly from forest conversion and small amount coming from community forests. Whilst the country is committed to reducing or even suspending forest conversion as stated in the recent Letter of Intent between Indonesia and Norway that has just recently been signed, this agreement will significantly reduce the availability of cheap timber for domestic consumption. The immediate reaction on the part of the housing industry will be importing steel and aluminium frames from Australia. This reaction clearly increases CO2 emission, both in terms of production as well as transportation from Australia to Indonesia. This presentation will highlight the dilemma and propose some recommendations to address the issue.
Working Group 2
Jon Buckrell ABSTRACT The report, 'Illegal Logging and Related Trade: Indicators of the Global Response', demonstrates the significant impacts that tackling illegal logging and improving forest governance can have on the development of poor countries, as well as on climate change. The report authors Sam Lawson (Associate Fellow Chatham House) and Larry MacFaul (Verification, Research, Training and Information Centre) measured the difference that the global effort to combat illegal logging and trade made over the past decade using a comprehensive set of standardised indicators. The report assesses the response and progress in Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Japan, the USA, the UK, France and the Netherlands.
Chen Hin Keong ABSTRACT Timber trade statistics between trading countries do not match, with some very significant discrepancies in volume, values and products over time. One basic common denominator for timber trade in most countries is the authority of a national Customs agency to control cross-border trade. The role of Customs, therefore, needs to be given particular emphasis. This presentation proposes that illegal logging and illegal timber trade can be further controlled by Customs through changes in requirements for information and document verification systems. These changes should be reflected by a narrowing of bilateral discrepancies in timber trade statistics and hence, illegal logging and illegal timber in international trade. The presentation will cover the Customs protocols for exports and imports. It will address the gaps and weaknesses in the current system and propose solutions for greater effectiveness and efficiency in international timber trade controls.
Anna Sinaga ABSTRACT The current law enforcement approach in Indonesia is ineffective in catching the masterminds of forest-related crime. This has been shown by high deforestation rate and state loss. Not only is this current approach ineffective, it also only catches small players in the big scheme of illegal logging. This has occurred because law enforcement efforts emphasise following the suspect rather than following the proceeds of forest-related crimes. In order to be successful in catching the masterminds, law enforcement should go after the proceeds, which are the lifeblood of the crimes. This can be done by combining and using anti-money laundering and anticorruption instruments.
Nazir Foead
ABSTRACT In Indonesia, peat deeper than three metres is protected under the law. NGOs have expressed concern about destruction and conversion of peat, including peat measuring three or more metres in depth. Joint analysis of CIFOR and WWF on Sumatran peatland indicates that protected peat may have been converted under a 'legal' arrangement, as part of a range of illegal practices. How could this happen? Was it merely that the peat distribution map was not available when land use plans were designed and concession rights were granted? Recognising today's attitudes on climate change and how deforestation has been contributing to the global warming means more information on peat carbon has been made available to public. The question remains, however: is the fate of Indonesia's peat now secure? The needs of plantations and plans for expansion are competing against peat conservation initiatives. Almost 800 000 ha of relatively intact peat have been allocated for conversion in Riau Province, including peat measuring more than three metres in depth. Would President Yudhoyono's announcement at the Moratorium Commitment in Oslo prevent further peat destruction and conversion? Could REDD+ help saving the tropical peat? Based on the 2008/09 forest cover map, Sumatra stored up to 21 GT of carbon in both its natural forests and peat. Between 1985 and 2008, 12.5 million ha of natural forest were cleared in Sumatra, emitting an estimate of 7.5 GT of CO2. In 1985, Sumatra had 8.8 million ha of peat forests, and only 3.8 million ha remained in 2008/09. This analysis clearly demonstrates that Sumatra's peat store has huge potential for the country's REDD+ effort.
Djoko Setijono
Karl Heinz Steinmann Since the beginning of the project, illegal logging was addressed through various measures including surveys and investigations, multistakeholders' workshops, awareness raising, canal blockings and field law enforcement operations. The head of Lalan Subdistrict issued decree No. 14, on 4 June 2010 on the establishment of an integrated team to mitigate illegal logging in the subdistrict jurisdiction. Team members consisted of representatives of institutions and agencies, including representatives from forestry, police, the military, subdistrict offices, relevant village heads, community forest rangers, NGOs, GTZ MRPP and PT RHM. The main task of the team was to disseminate information and to institute preventive measures as well as legal enforcement to combat illegal logging. The law enforcement operation was conducted in June and July 2010. The operation results were positive. Following successful negotiations and after having gained consent from the surrounding local community who live near the river and depend on access to it, the upper Merang and Buring rivers were barricaded with logs, preventing illegal log rafts from using the river. The removal of hundreds of cubic feet of illegal logs and sawn timbers was prevented. Using the concerted approach described, and adding blockades to larger rivers, illegal logging will be reduced significantly with a minimum of law enforcement effort. Cost will be kept low and local communities will still be able to access the rivers. |