T

he letter from the presidential REDD+ task force is most helpful, in as much as it lends considerable weight and credibility to the concerns I raised about the sums of money given by the Norwegian government disappearing “down a black hole”.

For two years, they have been studying the issues and have nothing to show for it or for the millions of dollars spent. What have they saved in two years?

There is no mention in their letter of any achievements. Two years of writing and by the time they finish writing their reports they will be out of date anyway. Useless.

Just today, I was reading how the palm oil industry is about to double in size its hectares in East Kalimantan. I was there a week ago and saw for myself how the Kutai National Park had been badly encroached upon and in a way that is totally illegal.

For the major investment being made by Norway, one would expect some results after two years but as usual, there is nothing to show for the money apart from I suspect some lucrative
personnel contracts and nice office space.

My colleagues in Indonesia and I have yet to see or hear of a single hectare of land saved with the Norwegian money. So, where is this money going?

Speaking of which, this is blood money anyway. The Norwegian government invests heavily in the palm oil industry and the killing of orangutans; so much so that it is reported to be making more money from deforestation than it is from allegedly protecting forests. In the commercial world, this would be called a scam.

I invite those concerned to list the achievements to date from the proceeds of Norway’s money. I also invite them to inform us where we can see the audited accounts for Indonesia’s half of the project. Let’s have some transparency, let’s see some results and a lot more accountability.

Sean Whyte
CEO, Nature Alert
Jakarta