"I realize that you have been waiting a long time for this moment and I can assure you that it was well worth the wait. We have a Roadmap! I am delighted to say that we have finally achieved the breakthrough the world has been waiting for: the Bali Roadmap!"

Rachmat Witoelar's address to the closing plenary at the UNFCCC 13th Conference of the Parties (COP) was predictably upbeat. Having presided over one of the most anticipated and highly charged political gatherings in recent memory, Mr Witoelar was understandably anxious for a fairy tale ending. Eager to assure the world that reports of emotional walk-outs and diplomatic stalemates had been overcome.

In fact, the wording of his closing address was positively Churchillian at times, with phrases like "responded decisively", "remarkable spirit of cooperation" and "true vision and leadership".

But is this really the case? Has this Bali Roadmap really "envisioned and charted a new climate-secure course for humanity", as Witoelar went on to say? What does it mean for the host country, Indonesia, and other developing nations? What does it mean for the world's forests and for the people who depend on them? What is the future for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD)?

According to Frances Seymour, CIFOR's Director General, the conference is likely to prove an important step towards developing a strategy for addressing climate change and reinforced just how important forests will be to this strategy.

"The links between forests and climate change are indisputable, and this recognition was reflected in the level of attention forests received in Bali," said Seymour. "So it was important that CIFOR had a significant presence during the conference, which we certainly did, most notably at Forest Day."

"While some people were dissatisfied with the level of detail agreed upon in the Action Plan, we must remember there were nearly 200 countries present, and that discussion of REDD is relatively recent" added Seymour. "The important thing from CIFOR's point of view is that an agreement was reached - which it was - and that this agreement included a significant focus on forests - which it does."

"The key now is to ensure that forests remain high on the agenda, and that any global climate strategy is informed with the most relevant, up-to-date and thorough research possible. This will inevitably be a slow process, but under the circumstances, that is not such a bad thing."

The Bali Action Plan acknowledges that forests cannot be ignored in any future strategy to combat climate change, and that REDD also has enormous potential to deliver biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation outcomes. Like much of the document, however, the provisions included for REDD are notably lacking in specific, measurable targets. Rather than committing to REDD, the COP has committed to investigating the possibility of committing to REDD.

But as Seymour stated, taking things slowly is not necessarily a bad thing. Exercising caution and prudence in the design and implementation of such a significant global development can help to ensure that complex issues are properly addressed, appropriate governance mechanisms are put in place and, we hope, past mistakes are not repeated.

Crucially, the Bali Action Plan does acknowledge many complex issues that have been at the heart of CIFOR's research, including indigenous land rights, methodological impediments and the need to consider indirect drivers of deforestation.

There were a number of other key developments over the course of the two week negotiations, including the launch of the Adaptation Fund, which will provide funds for climate change adaptation projects in developing countries, and the staging of the inaugural Forest Day, which provided a tangible demonstration of just how pivotal forests are to the global climate agenda.

Dr Daniel Murdiyarso, a Senior Scientist with CIFOR's Environmental Services and Sustainable Use of Forests Programme and one of Indonesia's foremost authorities on climate change, was excited to see so many people come together for a common cause.

"For a climate change scientist, Bali was a real buzz. To see so many passionate people, from so many diverse fields, made me confident that we do have a chance," said Murdiyarso. "Sure, it wasn't always harmonious, but what's the point of harmony if there's no action?"

"The only way we're going to tackle climate change is if we work together - scientists, politicians, community groups, businesses," he added. "You can have all the ideas in the world, but this is useless unless you have the platform to do something with these ideas. At the same time, you can have all the political power in the world, but this needs to be backed up with solid ideas."

"There was no shortage of ideas in Bali, that's for sure. The hard part now is working out the good from the bad. It'll be a long, winding road, and the devil will lie in the detail. But I do think Bali will prove to be an important milestone leading to Poznan and then Copenhagen."

So Witoelar may have been a little emphatic in his closing address, he may have overstated the solidarity of the conference participants and the clarity of the conference outcomes.

But the Bali COP never sought to determine a detailed strategy to address climate change, merely to negotiate an agenda for further negotiations. That may sound excessively bureaucratic, but finding any consensus among 189 parties was always going to be a major challenge.

And he hit the nail on the head when he declared that "the road from Bali to Poznan and Copenhagen must be paved not with good intentions but concrete actions and rigorous implementation".

This is the challenge for us all.

Story by Tim Cronin, CIFOR and AusAID