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Yearender 2021: Govt waffles on forestry stance in Indonesia’s climate pledge
The forestry sector appears to be the key for the government to achieve Indonesia's climate goals, but its reluctance to use a big-data approach and a conflicting signal from its top environment official has undercut its attempt to present a united front, both nationally and globally.
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A lowland forest stretches before the peak of Mount Meratus, as seen on Nov. 25, 2021 from Hinas Kanan village in South Kalimantan. Local forestry authorities say that 30,000 hectares of forest areas had been lost to the mining and plantation industries over the last three years. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)
T
he role of the country’s forestry sector grew in importance for the government in 2021, amid its continuing efforts to reduce deforestation as part of Indonesia’s commitment to climate mitigation.
Forest areas in the country were the centerpiece of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s address at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), held in November in Glasgow, Scotland.
In his speech, Jokowi highlighted Indonesia’s achievements in reducing the rate of forest fires by up to 22 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, and that this had contributed to the country achieving its lowest deforestation rate in recent years.
The President also highlighted the government’s ambitious plan to rehabilitate 600,000 hectares of damaged mangrove forests by 2024 as part of its efforts to mitigate the harmful impacts of climate change, particularly along the coastlines of the world’s largest archipelagic nation.
However, the government-touted achievement in reducing deforestation and the plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been under the scrutiny of environmental activists, who have questioned the methods used to calculate the deforestation rate and argued that the government could set a more ambitious emissions target.
In addition, Indonesia’s forestry sector was at the center of the collapse of a bilateral agreement with Norway on reducing carbon emissions by mitigating deforestation and land degradation.
Read also: Indonesia, Norway in blame game over collapsed deforestation pact
