CLIMATE CHANGE, AND FORESTS IN INDONESIA peatlands (CCFPI)

by I Nyoman Suryadiputra
Project Fasilitator – CCFPI
Direktur Teknis Wetlands International – Indonesia Programme


Climate Change, Forests and peatlands in Indonesia (CCFPI) is a joint project
undertaken by Wetlands International - Indonesia Program in cooperation with the Wildlife Habitat Canada. The project is funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada Climate Change Development Fund), and had implemented during the period August 2001 - March 2005. This project is specifically designed to support the implementation of Framework for the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) for Canada and Indonesia and organized through various activities involving the participation of various stakeholders (communities and government elements) within the framework of conservation and rehabilitation of land and peat forests in Indonesia.


We have several projects (including CCFPI) in Indonesia that explicitly focus
attention on the issue of climate change and even some of the LULUCF sector (Land Use, Land Use Change on Forestry) at the community level. However, CCFPI is the first project to adopt the modalities "learning by doing" on a specific ecosystem, namely peatlands. The advantages of this project, which in turn are expected to have contributed to efforts to increase understanding and coping with climate change, lies in the existence of inisiatifinisiatif follows:

1. Get involve local communities and social considerations-economic-ecological
efforts into the prevention of climate change
2. He raised the issue of land and peat forests as an important component of climate change terrestrial carbon store in bulk and importance in the global scale as well as current existence is threatened
3. Inclusion of the efforts of local community income with activities protection and rehabilitation of peatlands in terms of climate change.

Of the three elements mentioned above are expected to form a pattern of peatland management of community-based coupled with economic benefits and environmental benefits, namely the binding of carbon by peatlands and can be measured by the community. In operate in the field, CCFPI project will take place at various locations in Central Kalimantan and Sumatra. For Central Kalimantan, the project will be conducted at CCFPI Natural Laboratory of Peat Swamp Forest Sebangau / LAHRGS (area about 50,000 ha), the location of ex-Block C Peatlands Project and One Million Hectare-Buntok Puning River.


Activities in the Laboratory of Natural HRGS aimed at businesses:
1. Improving the status of protection HRGS Natural Laboratory
2. LAHRGS management plans
3. Peatland areas rehabilitate logged-over, burnt and degradation
4. Involving local communities in protection efforts and the rehabilitation LAHRGS
5. Increasing the options increase in local livelihoods

Activities at the site Block C, ex-Project One Million Hectare Peat will be devoted to efforts:
1. Restoration of hydrological systems in several ex-canal PLG Million Hectare by closing / blocking these channels. With the closure of the canal is expected to face water in peat land will rise and the potential of peat fires in the future can be reduced. In the canals will be closed all aquaculture activities so that these activities can provide product to surrounding communities.
2. Establishment of a model of the canal restoration is expected to be applied also to lokasilokasi
others in Indonesia's peatlands
3. Reducing the rate of damage and risk of peat fires

Activities at the site-Buntok Puning River aims to:

1. Creating a pattern of management of community-based peatland
2. Create economic activities are environmental friendly
3. Community participation in conservation efforts Puning River peatland
4. Strengthening the structure of social organizations Puning River Village

Both locations on the first activity will be done through CCFPI Cooperation Program (in this case, WI-IP) with CIMTROP - University of Palangkaraya. As for the location of the three activities, namely the River Puning - Buntok, will be done through partnership programs with CCFPI KEHATI Foundation (WI-IP) and the field was facilitated by the Joint Secretariat Buntok NGOs. All activities in Central Kalimantan CCFPI in kordinasikan by Field Coordinator (Kalimantan Site Coordinator) who is the representative CCFPI in Central Kalimantan.

To Sumatra, the project will be conducted in CCFPI two province, the Jambi and South Sumatra. For Jambi Province, took place in village activities Mendahara Ulu / Simpang Kiri (Peat Protected Forest near Feather River); at River Village Rambut, Aur river and Air Hitam Dalam river (near National Park Buffer Area Berbak). In South Sumatra Province, the activities took place in the village of Sungai Merang, ie candidate buffer region Sembilang National Park.

Basically, all the activities carried out in Sumatra is to include people from several villages around the area of conservation and protected areas (ie: Berbak National Park in Jambi, candidates Sembilang National Park in South Sumatra and Protected Forest Areas in the Feather River Ulu Mendahara Jambi) in saving measures peat lands and forests around it, through various economic activities are environmentally sound. Community participation from the villages mentioned above were facilitated by local NGOs, namely the NGOs Yasasan Pinang A (Pinse) to locations in Jambi and activities by the NGO Wahana Bumi Hijau (WBH) for activities in South Sumatra. All the activities in Sumatra is coordinated by the Coordinator of Field (Sumatra Site Coordinator) CCFPI representative based in Jambi.

Economic activities (eg agricultural cultivation, fishery, animal husbandry, etc.) that will be made public will be funded by a grant CCFPI but as compensation, the community groups who receive grants are required to conduct investment activities / rehabilitation and maintenance of his land and the surrounding peat. All the activities above will receive aid / technical direction by the CCFPI project. The assistance may include training in the sectors of economic activity (such as agroforestry techniques, silviculture, making handicrafts, aquaculture, animal husbandry, agriculture, etc.) or referral to the service sector environment.

In addition to activities that took place in the buffer mentioned above, will also CCFPI
doing rehabilitation efforts burnt land contained in Berbak TN area. This activity will involve the private sector (HPH), the manager of TN and the surrounding community Berbak TNB. Recently (in August-September 2002), in cooperation with the CCFPI TNB managers, local NGOs and communities around TNB has conducted programs in extinguishing the fire in TNB and the surrounding area. Similar activities are also conducted at the project site plan in Central Kalimantan by involving various government agencies and the general public.

At the national and international level, CCFPI Project supported by the involvement of experts peat. Their involvement is more aimed at providing technical guidance on measurement techniques in a simple carbon in the pilot sites, identifying management practices best peat (best management practice) that can be applied at the pilot locations, preparing bahanbahan environmental campaigns and public awareness (both for the officials and the general public) in the field of preservation of peat, especially in the context of the UNFCCC climate change issues and CDM.

CCFPI project also allocates some funds (small grants funding) that will be given to
a number of community groups around the project site. These funds will be allocated through a special programs, in which groups of people who are interested are required to submit proposals (course must meet the requirements set by the project CCFPI) to the Co-ordinator CCFPI Field in Central Kalimantan and in Sumatra.