SBY's peat regulation/Forest fires - Greenpeace analysis
As part of the Environmental Law passed in 2009, are a series of regulations, one of which is the Peat Regulation, which is being discussed now in parliament. President SBY appears eager to establish his environmental credentials, but this law will prove ineffective for several reasons.
Key research from the briefer:
1. More than 86 per cent of the fire hotspots occurring in the area protected by the moratorium are on peatland
2. Indonesia's peatlands cover less than 0.1 per cent of the Earth's surface but through draining and fires are already responsible for 4 per cent of global GHG emissions every year.
3. The main drivers of peatland destruction in Indonesia are palm oil and pulp plantations, draining the areas and making them prone to fires. Almost 5.5 million hectares of oil palm and pulp concessions across Indonesia overlap with peatlands and around 50 per cent of recent fire hotspots on peatland are inside those concessions
Recently, a new regulation is about to be passed in Indonesia that has serious implications for palm oil companies and how forest fires are managed.
President SBY has very rapidly introduced the "Peat Regulation" which aims to protect peatland, a landscape whose devastation due to forest clearance and drainage has been a key contributor to the ongoing forest fire crisis. Greenpeace has just completed a series of detailed mapping analyses, ground documentation and a technical briefer, their findings show that the regulation is too watered down to really protect peat, and help stop forest fires on peatland. Its stands in contrast to some of the action being taken by the Singaporean government.
These issues are complex and the law is closely connected to forest fires, deforestation, and the recent No Deforestation policies announced by big producers/traders such as GAR, Wilmar and consumer companies like Mars.
Some photos are available here:
http://photo.greenpeace.org/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=27MZVNHOF7E2M&PSID
Key research from the briefer:
1. More than 86 per cent of the fire hotspots occurring in the area protected by the moratorium are on peatland
2. Indonesia's peatlands cover less than 0.1 per cent of the Earth's surface but through draining and fires are already responsible for 4 per cent of global GHG emissions every year.
3. The main drivers of peatland destruction in Indonesia are palm oil and pulp plantations, draining the areas and making them prone to fires. Almost 5.5 million hectares of oil palm and pulp concessions across Indonesia overlap with peatlands and around 50 per cent of recent fire hotspots on peatland are inside those concessions
Recently, a new regulation is about to be passed in Indonesia that has serious implications for palm oil companies and how forest fires are managed.
President SBY has very rapidly introduced the "Peat Regulation" which aims to protect peatland, a landscape whose devastation due to forest clearance and drainage has been a key contributor to the ongoing forest fire crisis. Greenpeace has just completed a series of detailed mapping analyses, ground documentation and a technical briefer, their findings show that the regulation is too watered down to really protect peat, and help stop forest fires on peatland. Its stands in contrast to some of the action being taken by the Singaporean government.
These issues are complex and the law is closely connected to forest fires, deforestation, and the recent No Deforestation policies announced by big producers/traders such as GAR, Wilmar and consumer companies like Mars.
Some photos are available here:
http://photo.greenpeace.org/C.aspx?VP3=ViewBox_VPage&VBID=27MZVNHOF7E2M&PSID
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