Three year-old nyamplung on degraded peatland. Photo by Himlal Baral

Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest country by population and its demand for energy is also huge and growing. The Government’s National Energy Policy (Kebijakan Energi Nasional) sees bioenergy as playing an important role in meeting demand while also helping to achieve its targets for sustainable development that reduces emissions of greenhouse gases.

“Indonesia has an estimated 14 million hectares of degraded land that provide little benefit for people, owing to its reduced provision of goods and services, or for the climate owing to its diminished capacity to absorb carbon,” said Dr Robert Nasi, who is the managing director of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the publisher of a new book, Bioenergy for Landscape Restoration and Livelihoods: Re-creating Energy-smart Ecosystems on Degraded Landscapes.

The book presents evidence from researchers on production of bioenergy that does not compete with food production but rather enhances it.

“We showcase insights and key findings relevant to Indonesia for the restoration of degraded land using bioenergy crops that help meet local, national and international objectives,” said Himlal Baral, lead editor of the book and senior landscape restoration scientist with CIFOR-ICRAF. “We expect the book will be helpful for farmers, community groups, small-to-medium-sized enterprises and policymakers when deciding where, what and how to produce bioenergy not only in Indonesia but throughout the tropics.”

Read the full story…