Wednesday 27 February 2008

"We found that Sumatra's elephants and tigers are disappearing even faster than their forests are in Riau," said WWF International's Species Programme Director, Dr Susan Lieberman.

"This is happening because as wildlife search for new habitat and food sources, they increasingly come into conflict with people and are killed," she explained.

Key study analyses impact

The study found that in central Sumatra's Riau Province 4.2 million hectares of tropical forests and peat swamp have been cleared in the last 25 years.

Forest loss, degradation and, decomposition and fires are, on average, equivalent to 122% percent of the Netherlands total annual emissions, 58% of Australia's annual emissions, 39% of annual UK emissions and 26% of annual German emissions.

Riau was chosen for the study because it is home to vast peatlands estimated to hold Southeast Asia's largest store of carbon, and contains some of the most critical habitat for Sumatran elephants and tigers. It also has Indonesia's highest deforestation rate, substantially driven by the operations of global paper giants Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL).

Elephants and tigers need protection

The province has lost 65% per cent of its forests over the last 25 years and in recent years has suffered Indonesia's fastest deforestation rates. In the same period there was an 84% decline in elephant populations, down to only 210 individuals, while tiger populations are estimated to have declined by 70% to perhaps just 192 individuals.

"The fragmentation and opening up of new forest areas also increases both the access and the opportunities for poaching. Therefore, a concerted effort to save these forests will contribute significantly to slowing the rate of global climate change, and will give tigers, elephants, and local communities a real chance for a future in Sumatra," added Lieberman.

Incentives for change from Bali

At last December's Bali Climate Change Conference, the Indonesian minister of Forestry pledged to provide incentives to stop unsustainable forestry practices and protect Indonesia's forests. The governor of Riau Province has also made a public commitment to protect the province's remaining forest.

"If the commitments by the Indonesian government are implemented, it will not only save its endangered species but actually slow the rate of global climate change through the carbon savings," said Ian Kosasih, Director of WWF-Indonesia's Forest Programme.

Carbon emissions are likely to increase, the study predicted, as most future forest clearance will be conducted in areas with deep peat, which releases greenhouse gases when it decomposes or burns.

"If government and local industry were to create positive incentives for projects to reduce emissions by saving forests in Riau Province, it would both protect the province's massive carbon stores and also contribute to the economies of local communities that are dependent on these forests," said Kosasih.

At the Climate Change Conference in Bali, it was agreed that the negotiations towards the post-2012 climate agreement should consider a mechanism to provide positive incentives for developing countries, such as Indonesia, to reduce emissions from forests.

However, WWF believes that we cannot wait until this agreement is in place and so there is the need for voluntarily financed programmes for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

The UK government showed support by contributing to the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility but greater funds are needed if we are to achieve the scale of emissions reductions needed.