Jikalahari

The bilateral agreement to conserve the forest which agreed in Oslo, Norwegia, some times ago also give financial benefit for Indonesia. Norwegia government agree to give fund around USD 1 billion for Indonesia forest conservation as the implementation REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation ) + .

Further question for the government is, how will they take action to save the forest during the implementation of 2 years moratorium?

" Seberang forest (the across forest)" mentioned by this guy is a call from local community for peat swamp forest in Kampar Peninsula which located separated by Kampar river to the Teluk  Meranti settlement. Since the end of year  2009, this area become very famous and public attention in level national and international due the community resistance to reject pulp and paper company who continue converse natural forest for acacia and eucalyptus plantation.

The rejection should come for a reason; local community has been experiencing the impact of forest destruction. The forest exist is an ancestral forest. It happened that, Deni appointed by the local community to be the Head of Community Forum to save Kampar Peninsula.

Nine Strategies

The president of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) shortly after the signing of agreement with Norwegia has presented nine strategies to success the cooperation.  First, to form a body that is credible and transparent. Second is institution formation and monitoring system, reporting and verification which are credible and admitted by international community.

The 2 last strategies are, generate consultation with custom institution for moratorium and choose financial institution who will manage aid fund.

He also aware that there could be many constraints will aground the cooperation in the middle of the way. One important constraint is id community who live surround the forest didn’t get advantage form that cooperation. This thing, in further most likely happens because front leader such as local government until village leader level very weak.

Beside, crucial factor that could disable this cooperation is the monitoring including reward and punishment didn’t took place in appropriate way.

"Bottom-Up" Paradigm

Environmentalist said that the government could use the moment of 2 years moratorium to fixed forest management which already has many problems, one of way out could started from the various forestry cases in Riau. The government currently is running out of time to implement the strategies that have been arranged, however those thing should be conducted sooner if government immediately identify the existing forest issue that has been there for long time.

He believes there are some issues need to be explained regarding forest management started from forestry regulation evaluation, law enforcement for illegal logging, the issue of concession permit  either expansion permit for plantation company who break regulation, over lapping in forestry area,  until agrarian conflicts due to the ignorance of ulayat forest right for indigenous people.

According to him, government should brave to conduct audit for all permit already issued in natural forest.  It is because, conflict existed between community and company also caused by permit issuing process which full with scandal and involving village apparatus, district leader, and official staff at MoF.

Forest Campaigner Greenpeace South East Asia, Zulfahmi, thinks that government should listen to community surrounds the forest aspiration more and implement bottom-up paradigm in the process of National Action Plan arrangement.   Government should put community in important position, as main stakeholder, in the implementation of  REDD+ concept for conservation and  forest environment  degradation prevention.

In the implementation of that concept there must be consequences of more strict security and forest product usage.  For that,   socialization and community institution empowering should become government concern to make program implementation more effective. The point of the program is from, by and for the community who live surrounds the forest.

Beside, government could start to fix forest management by admitting customary forest right.  Zulfahmi believe that local community/indigenous people  already has local wisdom for forest management which unfortunately  has not been appreciated by the government.

" Government should not `copy-paste` from previous program which uncertainly wanted by local community,"  he added.

 Indonesia government success to fix forest management during moratorium implementation will not only help President SBY achievement to reduce  the release of greenhouse emission from deforestation up to 26 percent in 2020.  Moreover, this success hopefully could increase Deli Saputra welfare and Indonesia community who depend their life from forest  instead of trapping them in new problem posed by the government mistakenly seize opportunity.

 Sources:  Antara News