TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Indonesia, Norway ink deal to reward rainforest protection
Protecting trees is key to meeting climate goals but environmentalists blame Indonesia -- home to the world's third-largest rainforest area -- for a deforestation free-for-all by allowing companies to clear land for new plantations.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Indonesia and Norway was signed by Minister for Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar (center) and Norway’s Minister for Climate and the Environment Mr. Espen Barth Eide (right) in support of Indonesia’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also present in the ceremony is Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (left) (The Jakarta Post/Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment)
I
ndonesia and Norway signed a deal Monday to reward deforestation reduction months after the collapse of a similar $1-billion agreement that was part of a UN-backed global initiative criticised for its ineffectiveness.
Protecting trees is key to meeting climate goals but environmentalists blame Indonesia -- home to the world's third-largest rainforest area -- for a deforestation free-for-all by allowing companies to clear land for new plantations.
Jakarta claims it has made progress by reducing the rate of primary forest loss for five straight years and Oslo will now reward it with "results-based contributions" for cutting emissions, Norway's ministry of climate and environment said in a statement.
"Today we are proud to embark on a new partnership to support the Indonesian government's impressive results and ambitious plans," said Norwegian Minister for Climate and Environment Espen Barth Eide in a statement.
But environmental activists say the deal will not change the situation in Indonesia with vast swathes of rainforest still being destroyed to make way for palm and timber plantations that threaten endangered species and push indigenous people off their lands.
"The agreement does not solve existing problems, including recognition of indigenous people," Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner Iqbal Damanik told AFP.
"The point made is 'successfully reducing deforestation', not zero deforestation. It means there is still deforestation in Indonesia going forward."
