Antara 6 Dec 07;
Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Forestry Minister MS Ka`ban said the funds set aside by developed countries for the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) scheme totaled US$10 billion.
The total was intended for 11 developing countries, including Indonesia, which had tropical rainforests, the minister said on the sidelines of the on-going conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) here on Thursday.
Ka`ban said Indonesia had not yet proposed the amount of funds it would receive for its REDD program, however.
He said Indonesia would first run REDD pilot projects in a number of provinces, hoping that more people living in areas around the forests would enjoy the benefit of the REDD mechanism.
As host country, Indonesia had drafted a mechanism plan called Reductions of Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD).
The REDD is being fought for by developing countries at the conference to gain financial incentives from developed states.
Under the REDD scheme, developing countries would market tons of carbon stored in their forests to developed countries who have the obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emission.
The Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force in 2005, laid down the practical commitments assumed by states party to implement the Framework Convention`s goal of mitigating global warming.
Indonesia, host of 120.3 million hectares of forests, will set aside 37.5 million hectares of its forests for the REDD project. "If one hectare is paid US$10 a year, Indonesia will gain US$3.75 billion every year," Minister of the Environment Rachmat Witoelar said recently. (*)
Indonesia prepares pilot projects for REDD
Antara 6 Dec 07;
Nusa Dua, Bali (ANTARA News) - Forestry Minister MS Kaban said Indonesia has prepared pilot projects for the program of Reduction of Emission from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD).
Indonesia had conducted various studies and researches on REDD with financial support from Britain, Australia, Germany and the World Bank, Minister MS Kaban said here on Thursday.
Minister Kaban made the statement after officially launching the Indonesian forestry ministry`s program on the Readiness of the Reducing Emission from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD).
The studies and researches were conducted by a team called the Indonesian Forest Climate Alliance (IFCA).
The pilot projects would be conducted at national, provincial, and district levels, for a period of five years, from 2008 to 2012, to identify and address problems arising during the implementation of REDD.
The pilot projects were expected to get experiences on the REDD implementation before it would be applied officially by 2012.
A total of 189 member countries of the United Nations which are concerned about the environment are meeting in Bali on December 3-14, 2007.
The conference is being attended by about 10,000 delegates and to take a number of important decisions, among others, on the road map to the Copenhagen conference on climate change in 2009.
The results of the Copenhagen conference in Denmark in 2009 will be ratified by many countries to replace the Kyoto Protocol which will expire in 2012. (*)
