A new deal between Indonesia and Norway to combat deforestation does not go far enough, activists say.

The agreement comes a year after Indonesia backed out of the decade-long REDD+ US$1-billion agreement, which was part of a United Nations-backed global initiative criticized for its ineffectiveness.

While few substantive details have been announced, Norway has said it is prepared to grant monetary rewards for Indonesia’s efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation from 2016 onward to support the country’s ambitious goal of becoming a net carbon sink – storing more carbon than it releases into the atmosphere – by 2030.

Activists have bemoaned a lack of ambition on Indonesia’s part.

Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner Iqbal Damanik said the “reduce deforestation” terminology used by both parties showed the government’s lack of commitment, as it appeared content with slowing deforestation instead of halting it entirely.

“We have this term, ‘planned deforestation’, which refers to an area of the forest we’re going to lose [over a period of time],” said Iqbal. 

Citing the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s official forest and land use (FOLU) net sink 2030 plan, Iqbal said 2.78 million hectares were at high risk of deforestation.

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