"Avoided Deforestation" Carbon Offsets, Modern-Day Herald for Forest & Biodiversity Preservation?

The Wall Street Journal ran an article today on the Indonesian island, Papua’s, proposal of using carbon offsets to preserve its forests, thus tapping into the nascent “avoided deforestation” carbon offset market.

Papua comprises the western half of the island of New Guinea. The island, covering an area approximately 421,981 km², was once home to massive virgin tropical rainforest. Development and plantations have since devoured the island’s forests. Papua’s governor, Barnabas Suebu, has teamed up with Australian millionaire, Dorjee Sun, to develop the carbon offset program. The duo hopes to tap into the carbon offset market, generate millions to preserve their forests, and in return award carbon credits.

This mechanism will ensure Papua’s economic development and environmental preservation.

This would be remarkable feat, especially since, in the past, the Indonesian government has chosen development over environment. Starting in the 1970s, Indonesia ’s deforestation rates began to skyrocket. The government initiated massive relocation programs to uninhabited Indonesian islands. They also enacted the Foreign Investment Law, allowing foreign timber companies and log exporters to enter the domestic market. This era was in fact called the “timber boom” and “forest development olympiad”. Indonesia has since tried to subdue rapidly increasing deforestation rates, but to no avail. To date, Indonesia is the third top greenhouse gas emitter because of deforestation, peatland degradation and forest fire. Indonesia trails behind the US and China.

If successful, this would be a good model to implement. However, plenty of challenges abound. For one, no binding legal mechanism exists for “avoided deforestation” carbon offsets. This may change after the December United Nations’ Climate Change Conference. Then there’s Indonesia ’s Forest Ministry, who maintains they have authority over Papua’s forests. The Forest Ministry has been actively cooperating with Indonesian and Chinese firms to convert Indonesian rain forests into copious palm oil plantations for biodiesel.

Click here to read the Wall Street Journal's "Indonesian Proposal: Pay us Not to Chop Our Trees".

Click here to read Mongabay.com's "Papua Seeks Funds For Fighting Global Warming Through Forest Conservation"

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