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Thinking long term for growth means protecting forests
Indonesia’s forests are critical to the food security, agricultural production, health, safety, and livelihoods of its citizens.
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Illustration. (Shutterstock/Krasula)
O
ne of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s priorities for his second term in office is still on boosting investment in infrastructure across the archipelago: more toll roads, seaports, and airports to support expansion of industry and economic growth.
Investing wisely is now an even greater imperative in light of the fiscal demands of the COVID-19 crisis. Thinking long term in the context of growing economy and improving livelihood in a changing climate means building forests into those plans.
A new working paper by the World Resources Institute (WRI) analyzes the implications for Indonesia of designing a long-term climate strategy that lasts beyond the usual 5 to 10-year timeframe.
Shifting the planning horizon to mid-century — as the Paris Agreement on climate change has encouraged countries to do — changes the type of investment and infrastructure development that Indonesia should be envisioning now.
Specifically, investment in physical infrastructure must be complemented by strategies to maintain and protect Indonesia’s natural infrastructure, especially forests. Indonesia is home to the world’s third largest expanse of tropical forests. Those forests provide a substantial flow of environmental goods and services that directly support the livelihoods of tens of millions of people, including Indonesia’s poorest communities. Such benefits unfortunately are often invisible and are not appreciated until they are lost as forests are converted to other land uses.
Integrating Indonesia’s natural infrastructure into a long-term investment strategy would have at least three benefits.
First, setting a long-term framework for land-use management and governance would protect Indonesia’s economy and society from future losses.
