What is Carbon Conservation?
carbon conservation: using carbon markets to finance conservation
Indonesian Proposal: Pay Us Not to Chop Down Our Trees
PAPUA, Indonesia -- Barnabas Suebu, the governor of this remote and wild province, recalls flying over parts of Indonesia a decade ago and being appalled by what he saw below. A major island in the archipelago, once home to massive virgin rain forests, had been stripped bare for development and plantations.
"I felt so sad," Mr. Suebu said. "This kind of damage must be avoided in Papua."
PAPUA'S PLEA- What's New: Papua is hoping global investors will pay the province not to cut and burn down its pristine rain forests.
- Burning Issue: Western nations are increasingly worried that fires set to clear forests for agricultural purposes are a major cause of global warming.
- The Outlook: Without funding, Papua may need to hand over huge tracts of land to Chinese and Malaysian plantation companies.
Until recently, similar destruction in Papua seemed inevitable. The Indonesian government has long wanted to hack through its rain forest to make way for agricultural development. In the past year, Chinese and Indonesian companies have unveiled plans to spend billions of dollars on huge palm-oil plantations, hoping to feed demand for biodiesel. Papua appeared on the verge of its first-ever investment rush.
In an interview in Papua's capital, Jayapura, Mr. Suebu, 61 years old, acknowledged that his impoverished province needs the economic boost development might bring. But rather than allow Papua to follow the same course as many other Indonesian islands, Mr. Suebu is trying to chart a new direction. In effect, he wants Papua to be paid not to cut down its rain forest.
(Continued...)