• As the world’s largest archipelago of 17,000 islands, Indonesia spans two bio-geographic regions - the Indomalayan and Australasian - and supports tremendous biodiversity of animal and plant life in its pristine rain forests and its rich coastal and marine areas. Up to 3,305 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles and at least 29,375 species of vascular plants are endemic to the islands, estimated at 40 per cent of APEC’s biodiversity. Indonesia’s stunning natural environment and rich resources however, are facing sustained challenges both from natural phenomena – it is located in the highly seismic Pacific Ring of Fire which experiences 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and human activity.

  The growing pressure of population demands together with inadequate environmental management is a challenge for Indonesia that hurts the poor and the economy. For example, total economic losses attributable to limited access to safe water and sanitation are conservatively estimated at 2 percent of GDP annually while the annual costs of air pollution to the Indonesia economy have been calculated at around $400 million per year. These costs are typically disproportionately borne by the poor because they are more likely to be exposed to pollution and less likely to be able to afford mitigation measures.

  Natural resource challenges have persisted and become more complicated after decentralization. For example, the forest sector has long played a pivotal role in supporting economic development, the livelihoods of rural people and in providing environmental services. However, these resources have not been managed in a sustainable or equitable manner. Turning this situation around will require a new vision, led by the Government, of what a viable and environmentally sound forestry sector might look like.

• The country’s administrative and regulatory framework cannot yet meet the demands of sustainable development in spite of a long history of support for policy and capacity development both from within the government and with international donor support. Indonesia’s ministries concerned with environment and natural resources management have benefited from good national level leadership, and also from an active network of civil society organizations throughout the country that are focused on environmental issues, with significant advocacy experience. Yet, improving Indonesia’s approach to environment and natural resources management is difficult.

  Two reasons account for much of the poor performance: First, despite the substantial investment in environment and natural resources policy and staff development, actual implementation of rules and procedures has been poor and slow due to weak commitment by sector agencies, low awareness in local departments and capacity challenges at all levels. Also, awareness about the expected negative environmental impacts of sustained economic growth and the mechanisms for stakeholders to hold government agencies accountable for their performance are weak. Second, there is little integration of environmental considerations at the planning and programmatic levels, especially in the public investment planning process and in regional plans for land and resource use.

• The issues that most seriously threaten progress towards sustainable development in Indonesia are:

  Perverse incentives that hinder the sustainable use of natural resources
  Natural resources are an important contributor to Indonesia’s GDP and Government budget. Agriculture, forestry, and mining contribute about 25% of Indonesia’s GDP and about 30% of overall Government budget revenue (in 2005, income tax on oil & gas represented 7% of revenue, and “non tax receipts” on natural resource revenues represented 22% of state revenues). Yet, Indonesia’s macroeconomic policies (tax and non-tax revenue policies and fiscal balancing formulas) appear to favor resource depletion over sustainable use as they reward district governments on resource revenue and not performance or stewardship, under-tax forestry and fisheries (relative to other natural resources), and do not allow charitable contributions by individuals or corporation.

  Gaps between policy and practice following decentralization could slow significant improvement in environmental quality
  Under decentralization, the extent to which sub-national governments feel bound by national guidelines is being put to the test; the civil service is no longer part of a unified chain of command, regulatory bodies in many provinces and districts now fall directly under the command of the governor or district head, who is often also the proponent of the projects or activities that must be regulated. Despite the substantial investment in environmental policy and staff development, actual implementation of rules and procedures has been poor. These problems are unlikely to get better under decentralization unless a more effective approach to regulation can be developed.

• Many provinces and districts are making new interpretations of existing rules, or else inventing entirely new regulatory procedures. While some of these innovations strengthen environmental controls, many relax them or bypass national standards entirely.

  Public perception of environmental issues and the Government’s development priorities
  Public awareness is an essential part of the effort to address Indonesia’s environmental problems, from disaster risks to biodiversity conservation. Informed and aware citizens can take action to address environmental issues, and can form constituencies for improved efforts at the political and local government level. At a broader level, however, environmental values are not deeply embedded in society, leading to undervaluation of natural resources and environmental services. Participation and voice in decision making is an essential element of good governance. Recent environmental disasters (floods, mud, fires, erosion) have stimulated greater environmental concern, but further analysis of knowledge, attitudes and practices would be needed to determine how far or deep this understanding goes outside of urban centers, and what tools can best be used to build on this basic awareness.

• Social, environmental and economic benefits , risks and costs of alternative development paths
  Energy policy, forest sector practices and climate change issues are intricately linked in Indonesia. Fossil fuels dominate energy consumption in Indonesia both in rural and urban areas and Indonesia is gradually increasing the proportion of energy produced from coal (approximately 40% in 2002). Indonesia is also a large greenhouse gas emitter, generating 80 %of greenhouse gases from changed land use following logging and forest/swamp fires.

  National energy policies propose to increase reliance on renewable energy sources, including biomass, geothermal, and hydropower. At the same time, the Government plans a large scale up in the use of coal to reduce Indonesia’s dependence on oil imports. Increased coal use would lead to significant negative environmental impacts associated with high sulfur content and potential impacts on forests from land clearing. Alternative energy solutions are necessary for more remote areas that are appropriately priced and supported by the public sector.

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• INDONESIA 
• Indonesia houses the most extensive rainforest cover in all of Asia, though it is rapidly developing these lands to accommodate its increasing population and growing economy. 
  
   Indonesia's 17,000 islands form an archipelago that spans two biogeographic realms—the Indomalayan and Australasian—and seven biogeographic regions, and support tremendous diversity and endemism of species. Of the country's 3,305 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles, 31.1 percent are endemic and 9.9 percent are threatened. Indonesia is home to at least 29,375 species of vascular plants, of which 59.6 percent are endemic. 
  
   Logging 
  
       Today just under half of Indonesia is forested, representing a significant decline in its original forest cover. Between 1990 and 2005 the country lost more than 28 million hectares of forest, including 21.7 hectares of virgin forest. Its loss of biologically rich primary forest was second only to Brazil during that period, and since the close of the 1990s, deforestation rates of primary forest cover have climbed 26 percent. Today Indonesia's forests are some of the most threatened on the planet.
•  Indonesia Forest Figures 
  
   Forest Cover

  ---

  Total forest area: 88,495,000 ha
  % of land area: 48.8%
  
  Primary forest cover: 48,702,000 ha
  % of land area: 26.9%
  % total forest area: 55.0%
  
  Deforestation Rates, 2000-2005

  ---

  Annual change in forest cover: -1,871,400 ha
  Annual deforestation rate: -2.0%
  Change in defor. rate since '90s: 19.1%
  Total forest loss since 1990: -28,072,000 ha
  Total forest loss since 1990:-24.1%
  
  Primary or "Old-growth" forests
  Annual loss of primary forests: -1447800 ha
  Annual deforestation rate: -2.6%
  Change in deforestation rate since '90s: 25.9%
  Primary forest loss since 1990: -7,239,000 ha
  Primary forest loss since 1990:-30.8%
  
  Forest Classification

  ---

  Public: 100%
  Private: 0%
  Other: 0%
  Use
  Production: 53.9%
  Protection: 27.5%
  Conservation: 18.6%
  Social services: n/a
  Multiple purpose: n/a
  None or unknown: n/a
  
  Forest Area Breakdown

  ---

  Total area: 88,495,000 ha
  Primary: 48,702,000 ha
  Modified natural: n/a
  Semi-natural: 36,394,000 ha
  Production plantation: 3,399,000 ha
  Production plantation: n/a
  
  Plantations

  ---

  Plantations, 2005: 3,399,000 ha
  % of total forest cover: 3.8%
  Annual change rate (00-05): 79,400,000 ha
  
  Carbon storage

  ---

  Above-ground biomass: 8,867 M t
  Below-ground biomass: 2,926 M t
  
  Area annually affected by

  ---

  Fire: 122,000 ha
  Insects: n/a
  Diseases: n/a
  
  Number of tree species in IUCN red list

  ---

  Number of native tree species: n/a
  Critically endangered: 122
  Endangered: 57
  Vulnerable: 76
  
  Wood removal 2005

  ---

  Industrial roundwood: 11,178,000 m³ o.b.
  Wood fuel: 79,000 m³ o.b.
  
  Value of forest products, 2005

  ---

  Industrial roundwood: $2,159,679,000
  Wood fuel: n/a
  Non-wood forest products (NWFPs): n/a
  Total Value: $2,159,679,000
• Indonesia's forests are being degraded and destroyed by logging, mining operations, large-scale agricultural plantations, colonization, and subsistence activities like shifting agriculture and cutting for fuelwood. Rainforest cover has steadily declined since the 1960s when 82 percent of the country was covered with forest, to 68 percent in 1982, to 53 percent in 1995, and 49 percent today. Much of this remaining cover consists of logged-over and degraded forest. 
  
   The effects from forest loss have been widespread, including irregular river flows, soil erosion, and reduced yield from of forest products. Pollution from chlorine bleach used in pulp bleaching and run-off from mines has damaged river systems and adjacent cropland, while wildlife poaching has reduced populations of several conspicuous species including the orangutan (endangered), Bali and Javan tigers (extinct), and Javan and Sumatran rhinos (on the brink of extinction). On the island of New Guinea (Irian Jaya) the world's only tropical glacier is receding due to climate change, but also due to the local effects of mining and deforestation.
• Logging for tropical timbers and pulpwood is the best-known cause of forest loss and degradation in the country. Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of tropical timber, generating upwards of US$5 billion annually, and more than 48 million hectares (55 percent of the country's remaining forests) are concessioned for logging. Logging in Indonesia has opened some of the most remote, forbidding places on earth to development. After decimating much of the forests in less remote locations, timber firms have stepped up practices on the island of Borneo and the state of Irian Jaya on New Guinea, where great swaths of forests have been cleared in recent years and logging firms have to move deeper and deeper into the interior to find suitable trees. For example, in the mid-1990s, only 7 percent of Indonesia's logging concessions were located in Irian Jaya, but today more than 20 percent exist in the territory. 
  
   Legal timber harvesting affects 700,000-850,000 hectares of forest per year in Indonesia, but widespread illegal logging boosts the overall logged area to at least 1.2-1.4 million hectares and possibly much higher—in 2004, Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim said that 75 percent of logging in Indonesia is illegal. Despite an official ban on the export of raw logs from Indonesia, timber is regularly smuggled to Malaysia, Singapore, and other Asian countries. By some estimates, Indonesia is losing around $1 billion a year in tax revenue from the illicit trade. Illegal cutting is also hurting legitimate timber-harvesting businesses by reducing the supply of logs available for processing, and undercutting international prices for wood and wood products.
• Agriculture 
  
   Over the past few years, extensive areas of forest have been converted for oil-palm plantations. Indonesia's oil-palm plantations grew from 600,000 hectares in 1985 to more than 4 million hectares by early 2006 when the government announced a plan to develop 3 million additional hectares of oil-palm plantations by 2011. Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is an attractive plantation crop because it is the cheapest vegetable oil and produces more oil per hectare than any other oilseed. In the current environment of high energy prices, palm oil is seen as a good way to meet increasing demand for biofuel as an alternative energy source. 
  
   While clear-cutting virgin rainforest is illegal in Indonesia and oil-palm plantations can be planted on degraded forest lands, forest clearing is permissible as long as the process is declared to be the first step in establishing a plantation. Thus oil-palm plantations often replace natural forests. Of particular concern to forest watchers is a 2-million-hectare project planned for central Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The plan—funded by China and supported by the Indonesian government—has been widely criticized by environmental groups who say that the conversion of natural forest for monocultures of palm trees threatens biodiversity and ecological services. The World Wildlife Fund, which has been particularly vocal in condemning the scheme and has a number of scientists on the ground assessing the potentially affected region, has issued several reports on the region's biological diversity (361 new species were discovered between 1994 and 2004 in Borneo).
• The fastest and cheapest way to clear new land for plantations is by burning. Every year hundreds of thousands of acres hectares go up in smoke as developers and agriculturalists feverishly light fires before monsoon rains begin to fall. In dry years—especially during strong el Niño years—these fires can burn out of control for months on end, creating deadly pollution that affects neighboring countries and causes political tempers to flare. 
  
   In 1982-1983 more than 9.1 million acres (3.7 million ha) burned on the island of Borneo before monsoon rains arrived, while more than 2 million hectares of forest and scrub land burned during the 1997-1998 el Niño event, causing $9.3 billion in losses. The fires also produced wide-ranging and severe economic, political, social, health, and ecological damage to Indonesia and the neighboring Southeast Asian nations of Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, and Thailand, already in the midst of an economic crisis. Satellite analysis of the 1997-1998 fires revealed that 80 percent of the fires could be linked to plantations or logging concession holders.
• The haze from the 2005-2006 fires resulted in heated exchanges between Indonesian and Malaysian government officials. Malaysia and Singapore have offered assistance in fighting Indonesian blazes, while simultaneously placing blame on the country for its lack of progress in controlling the wild fires. Indonesia in turn blamed Malaysian firms for rampant illegal logging in the country, which left its forests more susceptible to conflagrations. 
  
   Despite some protective measures, including an Indonesian proposal to implement the death penalty for illegal loggers and fire starters, such fires are only expected to worsen in the future as the region's forests face increasingly dry conditions due to climate change and degradation. 
  
   Fires in Indonesia's peat swamps are particularly damaging due to the high carbon content of the ecosystem—Dr Susan Page, of the University of Leicester, estimates that Southeast Asian peat lands may contain up to 21 percent of the world's land-based carbon. The 1997 fires released 2.67 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Population problems 
  
   Fires in Indonesia were worsened by the government's misguided transmigration program which moved poor families from the crowded central islands to the less populated outer islands. In the program's two-plus decades, more than six million migrants—730,000 families—were relocated to Kalimantan, Irian Jaya, Sulawesi, and Sumatra. Ignorant of cultivation methods in these areas, many transmigrants fared poorly. In 1995, former President Suharto initiated the "One Million Hectare Project," an ambitious project to move 300,000 families from Java to central Kalimantan and increase rice production by 2.7 million tons per year. For two years, workers cleared the forests and dug almost 3,000 miles of canals with the intended purpose of keeping the soil drained in the rainy season and crops irrigated in the dry season. But because the peat lands were higher than the rivers, the plan backfired as the canals carried all the moisture out of the peat lands. The failures of the project were compounded by an eight-month drought from an especially intense El Niño year. In 1997, the dried-out peat lands ignited. Fires in other parts of Indonesia have been linked to colonist settlements established during the transmigration program.
• Mining 
  
       Mining operations have a devastating effect on the forest and tribal peoples of Indonesia. The largest and best known of such projects is the Freeport mine in Irian Jaya, run by Freeport-McMoRan. Freeport-McMoRan, based in New Orleans, has operated the Mount Ertsberg gold, silver, and copper mine in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, for more than 20 years and has converted the mountain into a 600-meter hole. As documented by the New York Times and dozens of environmental groups, the mining company has dumped appalling amounts of waste into local streams, rendering downstream waterways and wetlands "unsuitable for aquatic life." Relying on large payments to military officials, the mining operation is protected by a virtual private army that has been implicated in the deaths of an estimated 160 people between 1975 and 1997 in the mine area. 
  
   Freeport estimates that it generates 700,000 tons of waste a day and that the waste rock stored in the highlands—900 feet deep in places—now covers about three square miles. Government surveys have found that tailings from the mines have produced levels of copper and sediment so high that almost all fish have disappeared from nearly 90 square miles of wetlands downstream from the operation. 
  
   Cracking down on the Freeport's environmental abuses and questionable human-rights practices has proved a challenge since the mine is one of the largest sources of revenue for the Indonesian government. An Indonesian government scientist wrote that "the mine's production was so huge, and regulatory tools so weak, that it was like 'painting on clouds' to persuade Freeport to comply with the ministry's requests to reduce environmental damage," according to a Dec. 27, 2005, article in the New York Times.
• Cronyism and Corruption 
  
   Forest management in Indonesia has long been plagued by corruption. Underpaid government officials combined with the prevalence of disreputable businessmen and shifty politicians, mean logging bans go unenforced, trafficking in endangered species is overlooked, environmental regulations are ignored, parks are used as timber farms, and fines and prison sentences never come to pass. Corruption was cemented in place under the rule of ex-president General Haji Mohammad Soeharto (Suharto), who gained control in 1967 after participating in a 1965 seizure of power by the military. Under his rule, cronyism was rife, and many of his close relatives and associates built up tremendous wealth through subsidies and unfair business practices. 
  
   This tradition of crony capitalism played an important role in the government's poor response to forest fires during the 1997-1998 crisis. According to the IMF's managing director, Indonesia was unable to use its special off-budget reforestation fund to help combat the fires because the money had been ear-marked for a failing car project owned by Suharto's son. Though the fund contained billions drawn from timber taxes, it has long been used as a convenient way to distribute wealth back to Indonesia's circle of economic elite, the bedfellows of the former strongman. The IMF said that the fund has mostly been used to provide low-interest loans to commercial timber and plantation companies for land clearing and replanting virgin rainforest with fast-growing pine, eucalyptus, and acacia trees for pulp production.
• The future 
  
   Indonesia's forests face a discouragingly grim future. While the country has nearly 400 protected areas, the sanctity of these reserves is virtually nonexistent. With its wildlife, forests, coral reefs, cultural attractions, and warm seas, Indonesia has tremendous potential for eco-tourism, but to date most tourism is focused on cheap beach holidays. Sex tourism is a problem in parts of the country, and tourism itself has caused social issues and environmental problems from forest clearing, mangrove development, pollution, and resort construction. 
  
   Recent articles | Indonesia news updates | XML 
  
       3 elephants killed on Indonesian oil palm plantation in Sumatra
   (06/01/2012) Three critically endangered Sumatran elephants were poisoned to death within an palm oil plantation on the island of Sumatra, reports the Associated Press. 
  
  
• Indigenous rights rising in tropical forests, but big gaps remain
   (05/31/2012) In the last twenty years, rights for indigenous forest dwellers have expanded significantly, according to a new report by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). Covering nearly thirty tropical forest countries, the report finds that indigenous people now hold rights to 31 percent of the forest land in these countries, rising from 21 percent in 1992. However, landmark land rights for indigenous people remain imperiled by lack of enforcement, land-grabbing, government ambivalence, and industrial development. The report comes less than a month before the Rio+20 Summit on Sustainable Development, a meeting of global leaders that marks two decades since the Rio Earth Summit.  
  
  
          Palm oil giant making good on forest commitment in Indonesia, finds independent analysis
   (05/29/2012) Palm oil giant PT SMART appears to be honoring its commitment to avoid conversion of high carbon forests in Indonesian Borneo, reports a new assessment published by Greenomics, an Indonesian environmental activist group. The report was issued 15 months after PT SMART — a subsidiary of Singapore-based Golden Agri Resources (GAR) and owned by Indonesia's Sinarmas Group — signed a landmark agreement with The Forest Trust (TFT) to spare forests and peatlands that have more than 35 tons of carbon per hectare. The deal came after a damaging Greenpeace campaign, which targeted PT SMART for clearing orangutan habitat in Kalimantan and cost the company millions of dollars in contracts.
• Another red herring from Asia Pulp & Paper on its deforestation problem
   (05/29/2012) In a press release issued last Thursday, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) asserted that the presence of mixed tropical hardwood fiber (MTH) in its products 'does not come from the felling of virgin tropical rainforest trees in Indonesia'. The embattled paper giant goes on to say that 'the presence of MTH fiber says nothing about whether the product is sustainable or not" and that "MTH can be found easily in recycled paper.' All these points are true. But what APP doesn't tell you is that its response is yet another facade in its effort to deflect criticism from its forestry practices. 
  
  
      Indonesia's deforestation rate falls, says Ministry of Forestry
   (05/25/2012) Indonesia's deforestation rate fell from 830,000 hectares per year between 2006-2009 to 450,000 hectares per year between 2009–2011, said the Ministry of Forestry Thursday during the unveiling of its revision of a map that defines the country's moratorium on new logging and plantation concessions in primary forests and peatlands. 
  
  
      Nearly 2,000 fish species traded in U.S. tropical aquarium market
   (05/24/2012) The U.S. tropical aquarium market poses problems and opportunities for conservation, according to a landmark study published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE. The study reviewed import records in the U.S. for one year (2004-2005) and found that over 11 million wild tropical fish from 1,802 species were imported from 40 different countries. While the number of fish species targeted surprised researchers, the total amount of fish imported was actually less than expected.
• New Google Earth tool maps deforestation, threatened forests in Sumatra
   (05/24/2012) The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and a coalition of Indonesian environmental groups known as Eyes on the Forest have released a new Google Earth-based tool that maps forests, land use, carbon stocks, and biodiversity across the Indonesian island of Sumatra. 
  
  
      KFC linked to destruction of Indonesia's rainforests
   (05/23/2012) Fast food giant Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is linked to the destruction of Indonesia's rainforests through its packaging sourcing practices, alleges a new report published today by Greenpeace. 
  
  
          Indigenous group paid $0.65/ha for forest worth $5,000/ha in Indonesia
   (05/23/2012) A palm oil company has paid indigenous Moi landowners in Indonesian Papua a paltry $0.65 per hectare for land that will be worth $5,000 a hectare once cultivated, according to a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Indonesian NGO, Telepak. The report outlines similar disadvantageous deals in timber with the same companies breaking their promises of bringing education and infrastructure. 
  
• Forest and environmental news in Indonesian
   (05/23/2012) Mongabay.com is pleased to announce the launch of Mongabay-Indonesia (mongabay.co.id), an environmental news web site published in Indonesian. The site was officially unveiled Saturday, May 19 at an event in Jakarta. 
  
  
      Norway: Indonesia's forest moratorium isn't enough to meet emissions reduction target
   (05/23/2012) Indonesia's moratorium on new forest concessions will not be enough to meet its 2020 emissions reduction target says the largest backer of the country's forest and climate action plan. 
  
  
          Indonesia revises moratorium map; makes contested orangutan forest off-limits
   (05/22/2012) Indonesia is making 'encouraging' progress on its push to reduce deforestation by improving governance over its forests and peatlands, but still needs to do more to enforce environmental laws, said the head of the country's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) task force speaking at a press conference Monday in Jakarta. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Head of the Indonesian President’s Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight (UKP4) and Chair of the REDD+ Task Force, said an effort to develop a map of Indonesia's forests and forest concessions has been completed, although the Ministry of Forestry has yet to deliver the map to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, missing last Friday's deadline. The map serves as the basis for a two-year moratorium on new forestry concessions in primary forests and peatlands had been completed.
• Pictures: mama and baby orangutan saved from palm oil developers
   (05/19/2012) A mother orangutan and its baby were rescued from an area of forest that was being bulldozed for an oil palm plantation in Sumatra, reports the Orangutan Information Centre (OIC), which participated in the translocation of the red apes. 
  
  
      Asia Pulp & Paper to temporarily suspend rainforest clearing in Indonesia
   (05/16/2012) Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), a forestry giant that has been heavily criticized for destroying rainforests and peatlands in Indonesia, will temporarily suspend clearing of natural forest areas until conservation assessments have been conducted. 
  
  
       Emissions from deforestation depend on fate of cleared trees
   (05/14/2012) Carbon emissions from deforestation vary greatly depending on whether timber stocks are turned into finished wood products, converted into bioenergy feedstocks, or burned outright, reports a new study published in Nature Climate Change.
• 
      Regency head calls for stop to palm oil development in contested peat forest in Indonesia
   (05/11/2012) The acting head of Nagan Raya Regency — the location of Tripa peat swamp — on Thursday demanded a stop to a controversial palm oil development project that conservationists say threatens a population of endangered orangutans, reports Serambi Indonesia. 
  
  
      Indonesia's Environment Ministry to sue APP, APRIL in $225B illegal logging case
   (05/03/2012) Indonesia's Ministry of Environment is planning to sue 14 pulp and paper companies for illegally logging forests in Riau Province on the island of Sumatra, reports Tempo Magazine. 12 of the 14 companies are linked to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Asian Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL), pulp and paper giants that have been heavily criticized by environmentalists for destroying rainforests and peatlands that serve as critical habitat for endangered tigers, elephants, and orangutans. 
  
  
      115 mining companies operating illegally in forest areas in Indonesia
   (05/03/2012) More than 100 mining companies are operating without licenses in forest areas across 471,000 hectares in Indonesia, reports The Jakarta Post. 
  
  
      New attack on Greenpeace in Indonesia
   (05/01/2012) As fallout from its campaign against Asia Pulp & Paper grows, Greenpeace's critics have opened a new front on the environmental group, accusing it of "embezzlement", reports Mongabay-Indonesia. 
  
  
      New video documents nearly all the world's remaining Javan rhinos
   (05/01/2012) Nearly all the world's remaining Javan rhino have been documented on video via camera traps in Indonesia's Ujung Kulon National Park, according to a montage put together by park authorities. 
  
• 
      Animal picture of the day: Cicada emerging
   (04/30/2012) Cicada's are generally large insects with broad heads and transparent wings. The group is known for some species' habitats of staying under ground for up to 17 years before emerging en masse, though many cicada species emerge annually in small groups. Once it emerges, it sheds its exoskeleten and begins to seek out mates. Males produce a loud, distinct sound.  
  
  
      Palm oil is a major driver of peatlands destruction in Indonesian Borneo, finds new study
   (04/27/2012) Developers in Indonesian Borneo are increasingly converting carbon-dense peatlands for oil palm plantations, driving deforestation and boosting greenhouse gas emissions, reports a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research concludes that nearly all unprotected forests in Ketapang District in West Kalimantan will be gone by 2020 given current trends. 
  
• In sustainability push, Unilever aims to build palm oil processing plant in Indonesia
   (04/25/2012) Unilever is in talks to build a $130 million palm oil processing mill in Indonesia as part of its commitment to use more environmentally-friendly palm oil in its products, reports The Wall Street Journal. The mill, which would be located in Sumatra, would produce about 10 percent of Unilever's annual consumption of palm oil, which is produced from fruit from the oil palm tree. Unilever is the world's largest single consumer of palm oil, using 1.36 million tons a year for beauty and food products, including Dove soap, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and Vasoline. 
  
  
      Carnage in Komodo: world-famous reef destroyed by poachers' bombs
   (04/25/2012) Illegal fishermen have been utilizing homemade bombs to kill fish off the coast of Komodo Island, Indonesia, reports the Associated Press (AP); the bombs have not only injured fish populations in the protected area, but has also blasted biodiverse coral reefs popular with tourists. A scuba teacher told the AP that a section of Tatawa Besar coral reef, a popular diving spot, had been "blasted, ripped off, turned upside down." 
  
  
      Picture: Orangutan rescued from peat forest endangered by palm oil, fires
   (04/18/2012) Conservationists today rescued an adult male orangutan from a pocket of forest in Tripa, an area of deep peat that is at the center of battle over Indonesia's commitment to reducing deforestation. 
  

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• ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

   

  UNDP is supporting Indonesia in maintaining and managing the country’s rich environment, including Indonesia’s vast marine and terrestrial biodiversity and energy resources. UNDP is working for a sustainable environment and development policy, which integrates climate change concerns and at the same time provides poverty reduction and human development.

   

  Climate change is a reality and urgent actions on climate change adaptation and mitigation are required. With an over 80,000 km long cost line and 17,000 islands, many people in Indonesia are depending on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forestry and coastal community economies. Consequently, Indonesia is especially vulnerable to climate change, with the severe impacts of a changing climate already being felt in various parts of the country. Unreasonably, it is the poor and vulnerable communities that are being hardest hit by the changing climate. As a result, climate change is directly threatening Indonesia’s recent achievements on poverty reduction and other Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

• In addition to being strongly affected by climate change, Indonesia is also one of the world’s largest emitters of Green House Gasses (GHGs), thus contributing significantly to climate change. Indonesia’s largest emissions originate from deforestation and land degradation and conversion. In addition to causing climate change, these practices threaten livelihoods, biodiversity, peace and stability.

   

  Given the implications of climate change for Indonesia and vice versa, the Indonesia UNDP Country Office considers climate change a top priority issue. Concrete climate change action is required if the Government is going to reach Indonesia’s ambitious emission reduction targets. UNDP is therefore engaging closely with the Government to pursue climate change adaptation and mitigation in the context of an environmentally sound and sustainable development framework.
• Map of UNDP Climate Change projects in Indonesia
   

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