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View all search resultsCommentary: How jobs bill will change forest governance in Indonesia
The government has secured US$124.1 million from the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Norwegian government through the results-based payment of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative, the fruits of a decade of efforts to curb deforestation and carbon emissions.
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Indonesia has recently been rewarded for its forest policies.
The government has secured US$124.1 million from the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Norwegian government through the results-based payment of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative, the fruits of a decade of efforts to curb deforestation and carbon emissions.
Amid disputes about the government’s claims regarding reduced deforestation and forest fires, the grants demonstrate faith among the international community in the country’s forest-governance capability despite pressure for rapid agroforestry expansion.
But the government still has a lot to do to prove that it can live up to local and international expectations. Not only do deforestation and land disputes still occur, the omnibus bill on job creation, which is currently being deliberated at the House of Representatives, may undermine future forest management in the country.
The bill, which will amend 79 prevailing laws, seeks to centralize environmental management and licensing, stripping local administrations of control over natural resources, including land and forests. The law will overturn current forest governance regimes in which licensing authority and oversight are shared between the central and local governments.
Among the critical changes that will be made through the legislation is Article 18, which will revise Law No. 26/2007 on spatial planning. The article says the central government will be the only authority to settle overlapping claims and permits relating to land and forests.
The bill also eliminates the Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) and other environmental permits that are requirements for the issuance of a business license. Through article 23 on changes to Law No. 32/2009 on environmental protection and management, the bill proposes that environmental feasibility studies will be conducted by the central government and become the basis of issuing a business license.
