In the last four years, 5.4 million hectares have been deforested in Indonesia which is equivalent to 9.2% of Kalimantan and Sumatra's forest cover. Courtesy of Rainforest Action Network/flickr

BOGOR, Indonesia (March 9, 2011) _Run by CIFOR and several partner organisations around the world, the 4-year Global Comparative Study (GCS) is one of the world’s first major comparative studies on how REDD+ schemes are being designed, implemented, monitored, reported and verified.

As part of inter-related research on the media’s role in translating scientific knowledge for public consumption, and how science may inform policymaking, CIFOR is analysing print media coverage of REDD+ in Indonesia. 

News digests are compiled by Efrian Muharrom and Rita Oktarita, Forest and Governance Research Officers at CIFOR, and edited by freelance science writer, Michelle Kovacevic.



• This week, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) announced that Indonesia suffers losses that reach Rp. 14 trillion (US$1.6 billion) per year due to deforestation. As reported by the Jakarta Globe, the Jakarta Post and Republika (in Bahasa), ICW based their figures on deforestation occurring during 2005-2009 which totalled 5.4 million hectares and was found to be equivalent to Rp 71.28 trillion. The ICW has also urged the forestry minister to reform the forestry sector and address a number of weaknesses identified by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), particularly in the areas of forestry planning and supervision. Hadi Daryanto, the director general of forestry management at the ministry alleged that ICW was using old data for their analysis, however, if the report is proven to be objective, the ministry will take legal actions, he said. He also pointed out that the Forestry Ministry is working with other institutions including the police, the attorney general and the Environment Ministry to map forest-use violations in the country.
• More on the not-yet-signed moratorium on logging, Tempo Newspaper reported that Hans Brattskar, an official from the Norwegian International Climate and Forestry Initiative, met Indonesia’s Vice President, and the head of REDD+ Task Force this week. Tempo reported that the REDD+ Task Force has already consulted with the plantation and forestry private sectors regarding their draft moratorium and there were no protest, they only need the assurance of the law. The presidential decree drafts are currently still in the hands of cabinet secretary as, according to rumours, the task force’s draft may clash with government regulations

• Kompas (in Bahasa) broke a story this week, questioning Norway’s commitment to cutting carbon emissions in Indonesia. It has been alleged that the Norwegian government owns shares in five palm oil companies operating in Central Kalimantan, some operating without a forest release permit or wood utilization permit. They have also been accused of investing in several Indonesian mining companies. Investment in these companies is apparently coming from the oil and gas sector, formerly through The Petroleum Fund of Norway. It has now been renamed the Global Government Pension Fund but the money is still being sourced from oil and gas benefits, not from a pension’s contribution.The campaign director of the Indonesian Friends of the Forest (WALHI), has requested that the Norwegian Government withdraw from the natural resource industry in Indonesia.

• Beside delays at the policy making level, on the ground, some problems with REDD+ pilot projects are beginning to emerge. The article published in Kompas (Bahasa), quotes Effendy A, the Director of the NGO Restoring Indonesia’s ecosystems, as saying that their project is experiencing conflicts due to the uncertainty of forest borders. One of the Central Kalimantan pilot projects, run in conjunction with the Australian government, is also reported as experiencing conflict with the indigenous group, Dayak Ngaju. A number of NGOs have sent a letter to the Parliament of Australia, requesting for the project to be re-evaluated.

Run by CIFOR and several partner organisations around the world, the 4-year Global Comparative Study (GCS) is one of the world’s first major comparative studies on how REDD+ schemes are being designed, implemented, monitored, reported and verified. 

As part of inter-related research on the media’s role in translating scientific knowledge for public consumption, and how science may inform policymaking, CIFOR is analysing print media coverage of REDD+ in Indonesia.

News digests are compiled by Efrian Muharrom, Forest and Governance Research Officer at CIFOR, and edited by freelance science writer, Michelle Kovacevic.