CIFOR Assistant Director General, Yemi Katerere discusses forests with the Australian Minister for the Environment and Water Services, Malcolm Turnbull. Photo by Widya Prajanthi
$167 million ‘Global Initiative on Forests and Climate’
CIFOR recently hosted a visit from Australia’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull. Mr. Turnbull and senior government officials visited CIFOR following meetings with Indonesia’s Minister for Forestry, MS Kaban, and Minister for the Environment, Rachmat Witoelar.
Mr. Turnbull was in Indonesia as part of a tour to several countries to promote the ‘Global Initiative on Forests and Climate’, a new international endeavor to combat deforestation and its impact on climate change, kicked off by Australia with a contribution of AUD$200 million (US$167 million).
Two day’s earlier Mr. Turnbull met with senior US officials, leading to a joint statement from the Australian and US Governments committing to work together on the global initiative.
|
Global Initiative on Forests & Climate – Key Points
Projects will be developed with regional countries and relevant international organizations, including the World Bank. Australia will invite nations such as the UK, Germany, Brazil, New Zealand, and Japan to join the Initiative. The Governments of the USA and Indonesia have already joined the initiative.
Specific activities:
Working with developed and developing countries, Australia's $200 million investment will:
- Promote sustainable forest use
- Diversify economic base of forest communities
- Support research into deforestation’s drivers
- Pilot fiscal incentives to support sustainable forestry
- Encourage reforestation of degraded forest areas
- Build capacity in priority countries in such areas as:
- assessing & monitoring forest resources
- developing management plans
- implementing effective law enforcement
For more complete details, refer below to “Media Release by Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard, Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.” |
In Jakarta, during a joint press conference with Minister Witoelar, Mr. Turnbull said “The forests of Indonesia, like all forests of the world are the lungs of the Earth, and they have been neglected by all of us.” He also said Indonesia’s annual level deforestation would account for seven times Australia’s carbon emissions.
Mr. Turnbull’s discussions with Mr. Witoelar also looked at illegal logging. Mr. Turnbull said Australian satellites could be used to gather information about illegal logging and shared with Indonesia.
Mr. Witoelar said he would be pleased to have information from the “sophisticated surveillance methods that Australia can provide … we really want to know where and who (are involved in illegal logging).” Mr.Witoelar also called on Australian consumers, business and industry to be wary of buying wood suspected of coming from illegal logging. He further suggested the Australian Government should do more to combat the trade.*
During his meeting at CIFOR, Mr. Turnbull and his delegation met with CIFOR scientists and staff to discuss the ‘Global Initiative on Forests and Climate’. Mr. Turnbull outlined his general expectations of the initiative, as well as some of his concerns, but noted it was still very much in its infancy.
The Minister sought CIFOR’s initial thoughts on some of the key issues involved, including, the planning, implementation and evaluation requirements of a large-scale effort to reduce deforestation Indonesia, as well as the potential challenges involved.
Accompanying the Minister were officials from several Australian Government departments ad agencies, including the Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources, AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development), the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the Australian Greenhouse Office.
Indonesia will host the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali in December 2007. Mr. Turnbull says Australia and Indonesia look forward to working together at the conference to advance the issues of deforestation and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
*All quotes in this and the two preceding paragraphs sourced from The Age Newspaper, ‘Illegal logging comes under fire’, Mark Forbes, April 10, 2007
Further information is available from the following documents: