THURSDAY March 4, 2010

Hey everyone!

Check out this audio program about Kalimantan which was broadcast this Monday, March 1st on BBC Radio.  Link below.

Bill Law investigates the causes and consequences of the great global land grab, as richer nations and multinational corporations acquire vast tracts of land in developing countries.

Bill weighs up the pros and cons of Indonesia’s palm oil revolution. The country leads the world in palm oil production and the world is hungry for it; check any food label and as likely as not palm oil will turn up as one of the ingredients. Low-cost, high-yield palm oil has transformed Indonesia creating wealth and a new middle class. But in the process, it has carved up huge swathes of rainforest:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00r3r0k/Food_Fights_Indonesia/

Hot Topic:

Indonesia and Australia are working hard to fight deforestation and lower greenhouse gas emissions.  On Tuesday the 2 countries launched a 30 million dollar project to boost planned carbon-trading amongst developing and developed nations.

Nearby countries would give developing nations incentives to working towards preserving forests.  These developing nations could potentially gain millions of dollars by working towards forest conservation and forest enhancement.  The countries would earn $ through the sale of carbon credits from forest preservation projects. (REDD Projects) >~~

This is called reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).

Richer nations that must meet emission requirements would have the option to purchase carbon credits from forest preservation projects in developing nations.

The project launched Tuesday will cover an area in Sumatra called Jambi where over 2/3rds of the rainforest have been destroyed due to illegal logging, palm oil plantations,  slash and burn farming, and fires.  The 30 million dollars will be used to determine deforestation causes in Jambi and help rehabilitate the degraded land and forest.

REDD project central design themes will be developing alternative livelihood and incentive payment schemes for local communities, such as switching to different cash crops, to drive long-term efforts to keep trees standing upright.

This is the 2nd reforestation project launched by Australia and Indonesia.  In 2008 they embarked on a plan to rehabilitate 250,000 acres of carbon rich peat swamp land in Central Kalimantan, Borneo.

In regards to this 2008 project, half of the land is still forest and is threatened by the local dwellers who live off the land.  The project must find alternative forms of livelihood for these 20,000 citizens in order to preserve this forest.

These 2 projects are created in order that Indonesia and Australia can learn how to design preservation programs (REDD programs) and can work toward future carbon trading.

Unfortunately, the Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has signed a decree allowing mining, power plants and other  forms of development in protected forests if the projects are deemed strategically important.

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-46582520100302?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0