http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/07/28/indonesian-tropical-rainforests-and-climate-change.html

Indonesian tropical rainforests and climate change
Sukristijono Sukardjo, Jakarta | Wed, 07/28/2010 9:53 AM | Opinion 


Indonesian tropical forests (ITR), covering an area of about 119 million 
hectares, is an area that presents opportunities for entrepreneurs and 
investors of green planet. The ITR is extremely rich in flora with diversity 
and endemism value totaling 40. The rich species diversity includes 3,000 
species of timber, and only 20 species is exploited commercially and by trade.

The ITR are changing at an unprecedented rate and almost extinct in many 
locations due to illegal or over logging.

Due to its bio-geographical, ecological and evolutionary factors, Indonesia 
with a large swathe of coastal areas and tropical rainforests is the 
international people's hope. The world people placed their hope in the ITR, and 
the customary public perception is Indonesia should stay green in terms of REDD 
(Reduce Emission from Avoided Deforestation and Forest Degradation) for 
stabilizing climate changes and maintaining human welfare. 

Indonesia is the concern of the Oslo meeting as the core of carbon stock. The 
ITR services and the provision of carbon are vital for the world's health and 
are the demand of the people today and tomorrow. 

Clearly, our planet needs the ITR. Forestry experts are in full agreement to 
saving the ITR and worldwide knowledge on the ITR is improving all the time.

Oslo delegations recognized the importance of the ITR for the world, and is the 
primary key to  bilateral-multilateral cooperation. It was projected to 
decrease due to climate change. The ITR are in danger. The Forestry Ministry 
has recently demonstrated its eagerness to invest in, for example, protected 
adat (traditional) forests and mixed-forest gardens or locally called 
tembawang; man-made forests and/or forest rehabilitations, or known as hutan 
tanaman industri and hutan kemasyarakatan. 

Also, Indonesia can discover further opportunities in the carbon trade from 
different forest types and their biological richness. Protection systems in 
Indonesia are increasing widely from coastal to mountains. Forest's 
restoration-rehabilitation, coastal planting and conservation of natural 
resources directly related to the carbon sink, biodiversity and water 
catchments system are national activities. 

Many examples also exist in successful partnerships involving local 
governments, companies and community organizations in the forestry sector. The 
market for carbon-saving and over-logged forest areas, and mangroves 
rehabilitation and coastal planting technologies is attracting growing interest 
and many private-sector forestry companies involved.

It is important to note that fresh-water, coastal and marine water resources 
issues are intrinsically linked in the frame of ITR-climate changes. Water 
management can no longer rely on short-term approaches in which groundwater, 
rivers, lakes, coastal areas and marine water are dealt with as separate 
entities.

Indonesia, with 70 percent being water is a World Bank Forest Carbon 
Partnership Facility (WB-FCPF) target. The International Panel on Global 
Warming have climate change concerns too, as sustainable land-use and water 
management increases the vulnerability of human health and extreme weather.

In response to climate change and deforestation of the ITR, Indonesia 
reactivates the creation of the Indonesian Biodiversity Strategy and Action 
Plans (IBSAP) 2003-2020, a biological study of flora and fauna, their habitat's 
conservation program, the purpose of which is to accelerate through inventory 
of her biodiversity through the use of para-taxonomists and to find ways to use 
the biodiversity sustainably. 

Debates concerning the nature of the ITR - for public good or economic good - 
and fears relating to the impact of globalization and/or deforestation are 
over. Partnerships of governments, local communities, the private sector and 
other stakeholders are essential elements, which have contributed to the 
sustainability of the ITR. A healthy ITR, its flora and blue oceans will manage 
the carbon and water cycle naturally with no net loss for human welfare.

The relationship between the green planet- green ITR and coasts - and the blue 
ocean is extremely urgent for future life. Implementation of the Sulu-Sulawesi 
Marine Eco-region by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, the countries of 
the plant geographical unit known as Malesia, is the heart of tropical 
rainforests in the world, and is an example for strengthening local community 
participatory. 

Copenhagen delegations appreciated Indonesia (forests and oceans) as the core 
of mega-biodiversity center in the world. I like to call our 28.26 million 
hectares of conservation areas our "biodiversity factories", because that is 
really what they are, or biodiversity storehouses, warehouses with the 
potential revenue that can come from them viz. carbon trades and WB-FCPF 
compensation. National parks and reserves are a tremendous educational 
potential. 

It means learning about nature with nature, it means that we adopt a new 
mentality in the Indonesian educational process and we rapidly move towards a 
bio-literate population in the country instead of only a literate population. 
The importance of good governance of Indonesia in this regard cannot be 
overemphasized: Great progress is being made, and the legislative and policy 
framework supports efficient and equitable allocation and use of natural 
resources. Indonesia is in the position of the era of climate change. 

We shall encounter in a microcosm many of the philosophical questions of today. 
Of course change is of the very essence for ecosystems, and ecologists must 
remain continually aware that what they are currently studying is but one 
glimpse of the continually varying, kaleidoscopic pattern of life. 


The writer is a professor of mangrove ecology at the Center for Oceanological 
Research and Development, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Jakarta.

Post Comments |  Comments ( 7) 

khalid, indonesia | Fri, 30/07/2010 - 11:07am

I suppose the author is good in writing in Bahasa. but he can not express his 
opinion in English properly.
I saw he didn't consistent to use the subject as singular or plural (using is 
or are). He also lacks flight time in reading English article related with his 
field. 
As a scientific author, he should use the familiar term in that science field 
in English and also should describe the point of view by using words choices 
appropriately.

John, Makassarq | Thu, 29/07/2010 - 23:07pm

The only nut Gus is you...
Whose payroll are you on?

andrew, oberheusen | Thu, 29/07/2010 - 14:07pm

the post needs a new editor!

Arief Iswadi, Surabaya | Thu, 29/07/2010 - 09:07am

It seems that this op-ed paper is a translation using Trans tool or Google 
translation. Ridiculously, the Jakarta Post editor did not do a good job in 
editing this poor English-written paper. What a shame!

gus, jakarta | Thu, 29/07/2010 - 08:07am

What do you expect from a gw nut?
Of course it makes no sense. GW is a fraud and the people whose jobs it is to 
count how many monkeys poop in the jungle everyday are funded by taxpayer money 
and have to speak and write as ambiguously as possible. It's called job 
security.

jac2010, Jakarta | Wed, 28/07/2010 - 10:07am

Does the Jakarta Post have no editors? This article is terribly written, and 
makes no sense at all. No wonder there is no clear plan to save our forests 
when this is the sort of thinking that goes on. 

Ahmad Ramadhan, Jakarta | Wed, 28/07/2010 - 10:07am

Value totaling 40 of what? It is not clear enough.

Related News >> 
  a.. Indonesian IT revolution and cultural shock 
  b.. The performance of research in Indonesia
  c.. Indonesian scientists to discuss climate change in Germany
  d.. Bioprospecting: A priority for Indonesia


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