Costs and Carbon Sequestration Assessment for REDD+ in Indonesia

Research Highlights: Our findings highlight that the contribution of carbon sequestration from plantations to REDD+ will remain limited, and that opportunity costs in Southeast Asia will likely increase, due to future oil palm expansion. Background and Objectives: Land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) are significant sources of carbon emissions. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed that the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus program, also known as REDD+, could contribute to carbon sinks in tropical regions. These reductions could serve as carbon credits that offset emissions from other sources. Materials and Methods: This study uses the cellular automaton technique to simulate the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario and the gain-loss method, to measure carbon emissions resulting from forest conversion. The output of the integration of the models makes it possible to evaluate one of the most important financial costs: opportunity costs. Two scenarios (with and without consideration of carbon sequestration) in rubber and oil palm plantations are examined. Results: A sensitivity assessment in Kalimantan, Indonesia, shows that carbon sequestration from plantations affects value of opportunity costs less than social discount rates. Further analysis suggests that oil palm plantations have a greater impact than rubber plantations. Conclusions: Our study provides a case that can be applied to other regions for evaluating the impacts of plantation carbon sequestration, and insights that can help local policymakers design a financially attractive REDD+ program in other forest areas of the world.

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A Nested Land Uses–Landscapes–Livelihoods Approach to Assess the Real Costs of Land-Use Transitions: Insights from Southeast Asia

Land ◽

10.3390/land8010011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 11 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Guillaume Lestrelin ◽

Jean-Christophe Castella ◽

Qiaohong Li ◽

Thoumthone Vongvisouk ◽

Nguyen Dinh Tien ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Opportunity Costs ◽

Costs And Benefits ◽

Wide Range ◽

Forested Areas ◽

Mitigate Climate Change ◽

The Cost

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is viewed as an effective way to mitigate climate change by compensating stewards of forested areas for minimizing forestland conversion and protecting forest services. Opportunity costs assess the cost of foregone opportunity when preserving the forest instead of investing in an alternative activity or resource use. This paper questions the calculation method of opportunity costs using averaged economic benefits and co-benefits of different land-use transitions. We propose a nested approach to land-use transitions at the interface between landscapes and livelihoods and assessing a wide range of potential socio-ecological costs and benefits. Combining household surveys and focus groups with participatory mapping, we applied the approach in villages of Laos, Vietnam and China positioned along a broad transition trajectory from subsistence shifting cultivation to intensive commercial agriculture. By looking beyond the economics of land use, we highlight important linkages between land-use changes and livelihood differentiation, vulnerability and inequalities. Our results show the importance of addressing the impacts of land-use transitions on a wide range of potential ecological and socioeconomic costs and benefits at multiple levels.

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Securing tropical forest carbon: the contribution of protected areas to REDD

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605310000542 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 352-357 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

Jörn P. W. Scharlemann ◽

Valerie Kapos ◽

Alison Campbell ◽

Igor Lysenko ◽

Neil D. Burgess ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Protected Area ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Protected Area Management ◽

Forest Loss ◽

The Tropics

AbstractForest loss and degradation in the tropics contribute 6–17% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Protected areas cover 217.2 million ha (19.6%) of the world’s humid tropical forests and contain c. 70.3 petagrams of carbon (Pg C) in biomass and soil to 1 m depth. Between 2000 and 2005, we estimate that 1.75 million ha of forest were lost from protected areas in humid tropical forests, causing the emission of 0.25–0.33 Pg C. Protected areas lost about half as much carbon as the same area of unprotected forest. We estimate that the reduction of these carbon emissions from ongoing deforestation in protected sites in humid tropical forests could be valued at USD 6,200–7,400 million depending on the land use after clearance. This is > 1.5 times the estimated spending on protected area management in these regions. Improving management of protected areas to retain forest cover better may be an important, although certainly not sufficient, component of an overall strategy for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).

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Beyond the myths about Indonesia’s deforestation: linking oil palm cultivation to forest degradation and sustainable development goals

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/892/1/012084 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 892 (1) ◽

pp. 012084

Author(s):

B W van Assen ◽

D H Azahari ◽

K Obaideen ◽

H R Al Jaghoub

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Land Use Changes ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Land Clearing ◽

Development Policies ◽

Development Goals ◽

Positive Impacts

Abstract Oil palm cultivation is under scrutiny by various stakeholders, arguing that it is the main cause for Indonesia’s deforestation. This paper highlights the decades of forest degradation before the first land clearing for oil palm within the context of Indonesia’s development policies. Using ‘direct photointerpretation’ of ‘Historical Imagery’, it assesses the forest degradation and deforestation caused by oil palm cultivation in Indonesia, particularly in light of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Forest degradation has direct trade-offs with most of the SDGs, with the most affected SDGs being Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12) and Life on Land (SDG15). Historical satellite imagery indicates that the first land clearing for the 176 Kha of oil palm estates sampled palm occurred around 1994. In contrast, only half of this area contained (natural) forests in 1984- a decade before the first land clearing. None of the remaining forests were (near) intact natural forests; all were (heavily) degraded and their biodiversity was strongly compromised. This indicates that oil palm cultivation is not linked to the degradation of Indonesia’s natural forests. Regarding SDG12, we found significant positive impacts from both the direct and indirect land-use changes by oil palm. For SDG15, we observed major positive impacts from the direct land-use changes and minor positive impacts from the indirect land-use changes. Hence, we conclude that oil palm cultivation in the sampled estates has positive impacts on Indonesia’s SDGs and Indonesia’s development policies align with its SDGs.

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Konflik Tata Ruang Kehutanan Dengan Tata Ruang Wilayah (Studi Kasus Penggunaan Kawasan Hutan Tidak Prosedural Untuk Perkebunan Sawit Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah)

BHUMI Jurnal Agraria dan Pertanahan ◽

10.31292/jb.v3i1.226 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eko N Setiawan ◽

Ahmad Maryudi ◽

Ris H Purwanto ◽

Gabriel Lele

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Forest Area ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Spatial Integration ◽

Central Kalimantan ◽

Government Administration ◽

The Government ◽

Spatial Plan

AbstractLaw No. 26 Year 2007 on Spatial Planning (UUPR) mandated that all levels of government administration, ranging from the national, provincial, district/ city are obligated to prepare Spatial Plan (RTR). Until 2012, Central Kalimantan is one of the provinces which have not completed its Spatial Plan; one of the reasons was the lack of spatial integration of forestry spatial planning and provincial spatial planning of Central Kalimantan.The absence of spatial integration of forestry and provincial spatial planning of Central Kalimantan has the implication in triggering conflicts of land use. Forest areas were converted into oil palm plantations without any official procedures. There are 282 units of oil palm companies, occupying 3.9 millions hectares of forest area, with non-procedural procedures to convert forest area into oil palm plantation.To resolve this problem, the Government has revised the regulation of forest conversion by issuing PP No. 60/2012, provides opportunities for oil palm plantations, which under the Law of Forestry located in forest area but based on RTRWP of Central Kalimantan lies on APL or cultivation area, given the opportunity to re-apply the permit/license. IntisariUndang- Undang No. 26 Tahun 2007 tentang Penataan Ruang (UUPR) mengamanatkan bahwa semua tingkatan administrasi pemerintahan, mulai dari nasional, provinsi, kabupaten/kota diwajibkan menyusun Rencana Tata Ruang (RTR). Kalimantan Tengah sampai dengan tahun 2012 merupakan salah satu Provinsi yang belum menyelesaikan Tata Ruang, salah satu penyebabnya karena belum adanya padu serasi antara tata ruang kehutanan dengan tata ruang Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah.Implikasi dari tidak adanya padu serasi antara tata ruang kehutanan dengan tata ruang provinsi Kalimantan Tengah adalah terjadinya konflik dalam penggunaan ruang, dimana terjadi penggunaan kawasan hutan tidak prosedural untuk perkebunan sawit di dalam kawasan hutan di Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah sebanyak 282 unit perusahaan sawit seluas 3,9 juta hektar.Upaya penyelesaian permasalahan penggunaan kawasan hutan untuk perkebunan sawit di Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah diakukan dengan revisi kebijakan tentang alih fungsi hutan PP nomor 60 tahun 2012 yang memberikan kesempatan bagi perkebunan sawit yang berdasarkan Undang-Undang Kehutanan berada di dalam kawasan hutan namun berdasarkan RTRWP Provinsi Kalimantan Tengah berada di kawasan APL maupun budidaya, diberikan kesempatan untuk mengurus perijinannya.

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Carbon emissions from forest conversion by Kalimantan oil palm plantations

Nature Climate Change ◽

10.1038/nclimate1702 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 283-287 ◽

Cited By ~ 246

Author(s):

Kimberly M. Carlson ◽

Lisa M. Curran ◽

Gregory P. Asner ◽

Alice McDonald Pittman ◽

Simon N. Trigg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Emissions ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Forest Conversion

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Effect of different agricultural practices on carbon emission and carbon stock in organic and conventional olive systems

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr14343 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 54 (2) ◽

pp. 173 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ramez Saeid Mohamad ◽

Vincenzo Verrastro ◽

Lina Al Bitar ◽

Rocco Roma ◽

Michele Moretti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Carbon Sequestration ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Flux ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Soil Carbon Sequestration ◽

Conventional System ◽

Organic System

Agricultural practices, particularly land use, inputs and soil management, have a significant impact on the carbon cycle. Good management of agricultural practices may reduce carbon emissions and increase soil carbon sequestration. In this context, organic agricultural practices may have a positive role in mitigating environmental burden. Organic olive cultivation is increasing globally, particularly in Italy, which is ranked first worldwide for both organic olive production and cultivated area. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of agricultural practices in organic and conventional olive systems on global warming potential (GWP) from a life cycle perspective and to identify the hot spots in each system. The impacts assessed were associated with the efficiency of both systems at sequestering soil in order to calculate the net carbon flux. There was a higher environmental impact on GWP in the organic system because of higher global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from manure fertilisation rather than the synthetic foliar fertilisers used in the conventional system. However, manure was the main reason behind the higher soil organic carbon (SOC) content and soil carbon sequestration in the organic system. Fertilisation activity was the main contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for approximately 80% of total emissions in the organic system and 45% in the conventional system. Conversely, given the similarity of other factors (land use, residues management, soil cover) that may affect soil carbon content, manure was the primary contributor to increased SOC in the organic system, resulting in a higher efficiency of carbon sequestration in the soil following the addition of soil organic matter. The contribution of the manure to increased SOC compensated for the higher carbon emission from the organic system, resulting in higher negative net carbon flux in the organic versus the conventional system (–1.7 vs –0.52 t C ha–1 year–1, respectively) and higher efficiency of CO2 mitigation in the organic system.

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Soil nitrogen oxide fluxes from lowland forests converted smallholder rubber and oil palm plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia

10.5194/bg-2016-357 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Evelyn Hassler ◽

Marife D. Corre ◽

Syahrul Kurniawan ◽

Edzo Veldkamp

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Large Scale ◽

Fertilizer Application ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Land Uses ◽

Soil N ◽

Land Use Conversion ◽

Rubber Plantations ◽

No Fluxes

Abstract. Oil palm and rubber plantations cover large areas of former rainforest in Sumatra, Indonesia, supplying the global demand for these crops. Although forest conversion is known to influence soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitric oxide (NO) fluxes, measurements from oil palm and rubber plantations are scarce (for N2O) or nonexistent (for NO). Our study aimed to (1) quantify changes in soil-atmosphere fluxes of N oxides with forest conversion to rubber and oil palm plantations, and (2) determine their controlling factors. In Jambi, Sumatra, we selected two landscapes that mainly differed in texture but both on heavily weathered soils: loam and clay Acrisol soils. Within each landscape, we investigated lowland forest, rubber trees interspersed in secondary forest (termed as jungle rubber), both as reference land uses, and smallholder rubber and oil palm plantations, as converted land uses. Each land use had four replicate plots within each landscape. Soil N2O fluxes were measured monthly from December 2012 to December 2013, and soil NO fluxes were measured four times between March and September 2013. In the loam Acrisol landscape, we also conducted weekly to bi-weekly soil N2O flux measurements from July 2014 to July 2015 in a large-scale oil palm plantation with four replicate plots for comparison with smallholder oil palm plantations. Land-use conversion to smallholder plantations had no effect on soil N-oxide fluxes (P = 0.58 to 0.76) due to the generally low soil N availability in the reference land uses that further decreased with land-use conversion. Over one-year measurements, the temporal patterns of soil N-oxide fluxes were influenced by soil mineral N and water contents. Across landscapes, annual soil N2O emissions were controlled by gross nitrification and sand content, which also suggest the influence of soil N and water availability. Soil N2O fluxes (µg N m−2 h−1) were: 7 ± 2 to 14 ± 7 (reference land uses), 6 ± 3 to 9 ± 2 (rubber), 12 ± 3 to 12 ± 6 (smallholder oil palm), and 42 ± 24 (large-scale oil palm). Soil NO fluxes (µg N m−2 h−1) were: −0.6 ± 0.7 to 5.7 ± 5.8 (reference land uses), −1.2 ± 0.5 to −1.0 ± 0.2 (rubber) and −0.2 ± 1.2 to 0.7 ± 0.7 (smallholder oil palm). The low N fertilizer application in smallholder oil palm plantations (commonly 48 to 88 kg N ha−1 yr−1) resulted in N-oxide losses of only 0.2–0.7 % of the applied N. To improve estimate of soil N-oxide fluxes from oil palm plantations in this region, studies should focus on large-scale plantations (which usually have two to four times higher N fertilization rates than smallholders) with frequent measurements following fertilizer application.

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Oil palm expansion increases the vectorial capacity of dengue vectors in Malaysian Borneo

10.1101/2021.06.03.446885 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nichar Gregory ◽

Robert M Ewers ◽

Arthur Y.C. Chung ◽

Lauren J Cator

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

Vectorial Capacity ◽

Adult Survival ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Temperature Dependent ◽

Oil Palm Plantation ◽

Malaysian Borneo

Changes in land-use and the associated shifts in environmental conditions can have large effects on the transmission and emergence of disease. Mosquito-borne disease are particularly sensitive to these changes because mosquito growth, reproduction, survival and susceptibility to infection are all thermally sensitive traits, and land use change dramatically alters local microclimate. Predicting disease transmission under environmental change is increasingly critical for targeting mosquito-borne disease control and for identifying hotspots of disease emergence. Mechanistic models offer a powerful tool for improving these predications. However, these approaches are limited by the quality and scale of temperature data and the thermal response curves that underlie predictions. Here, we used fine-scale temperature monitoring and a combination of empirical, laboratory and temperature-dependent estimates to estimate the vectorial capacity of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes across a tropical forest – oil palm plantation conversion gradient in Malaysian Borneo. We found that fine-scale differences in temperature between logged forest and oil palm plantation sites were not sufficient to produce differences in temperature-dependent trait estimates using published thermal performance curves. However, when measured under field conditions a key parameter, adult abundance, differed significantly between land-use types, resulting in estimates of vectorial capacity that were 1.5 times higher in plantations than in forests. The prediction that oil palm plantations would support mosquito populations with higher vectorial capacity was robust to uncertainties in our adult survival estimates. These results provide a mechanistic basis for understanding the effects of forest conversion on mosquito-borne disease risk, and a framework for interpreting emergent relationships between land-use and disease transmission. As rising demand for palm oil products drives continued expansion of plantations, these findings have important implications for conservation, land management and public health policy at the global scale.

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Opportunities and Challenges of Mitigation and Adaptation of Climate Change in Indonesia

10.5772/intechopen.97027 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gun Mardiatmoko

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Agricultural Land ◽

Co2 Flux ◽

Forest Degradation ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Forest Land ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

Change Mitigation

The impacts of climate change are changes in rainfall patterns, sea level rise and extreme weather or extreme meteorological events. This impact will further provide dangers that threaten the sustainability of human life. The main causes of climate change are deforestation and forest degradation and the growth rate of industry and transportation modes that are not environmentally friendly. Therefore, Indonesia is participating in the Paris Agreement and implementing the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation program, role of conservation, sustainable management of forest and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+). In an effort to increase the prosperity of the State, many forests have been transferred to other uses such as the development of oil palm plantations, agricultural land and urban expansion etc. In fact, many agricultural lands have changed their function into settlements. If this happens, the forest area will continue to decrease again because after the agricultural land has turned into residential land, the forest land is converted again for agricultural expansion, this happens continuously. When viewed from the CO2 flux, there will also be changes in the basic CO2 flux from forest land, plantation land, agriculture and urban areas. The problem of deforestation and forest degradation is inseparable from the large number of forest conversion functions into oil palm plantations, expansion of agricultural areas and other uses such as urban development and infrastructure. Opportunities for climate change mitigation and adaptation include the implementation of the REDD+ program, financing of climate change mitigation and availability of climate information. The challenges faced include the lack of synergy in the policy framework and implementation of climate change control, recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights and uncertainty in the implementation of the REDD+ program.

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