Big Doubting: REDD potentially fail to be Implemented in West Papua Province !

A Reflection from 5 Years Preparation 

Forest in West Papua Province

As a new Province in Indonesia established on 2003 through President Instruction Number 01 of 2003 West Papua are in process to formulating and designing the development with people based oriented. The current governor Mr. Abraham O.Atururi on his vision mention that the development in Papua are enormously dedicated to the sustainable livelihood of Papuan. To total areas of West Papua Province is about 97.024,37 Km² consist of 10 Districts, 1 Majors, 154 sub-districts and 1,421 village. Customarily there are about 64 tribes and sub-tribes that verbally acknowledged by the Government as the owner of the land and resources in this provinces. 

Together with the old Papua Province the are about 40 million ha of forests that regulate by the state in which 9,7 million of them are in West Papua Province. This includes: 1,7 million of conservation forests, 1,6 million of protection, 3,7 million of fix production, 2,2 million for conversion and about 0.4 million of other land uses. Compare to total area the forested areas cover about 90% of provinces and about 80% of villages are inside and around forests areas.  

Why West Papua Province Have a Chance to Implement REDD?

West Papua Province is part of the New Guinea Island which is well known as the large tropical forest Asia and global tropical wildness area together with Congo and Amazon. With large forest cover and various and rich high economic value timber and land, it’s possible that west Papua Province would have high deforestation and degradation rate in Indonesia. It has been shown by the numbers of LULUCF licenses been realized for the last 3 years by the government. Max J. Tokede, 2012 on his analysis “The Implication of Natural Resources Management Policy in West Papua Province”[1] has mentioned that there is a decreasing on the natural resources and environmental capacity. He has also mentioned that the pressure to land conservation is increase as an impact of high investment in forestry and land uses sector. There are 29 logging concession (HPH), 6 oil palm plantation and 30 mining, oil and gas concession are actively manage west Papua resources. But on the other site they are not consistent in area licenses – all area are overlapping one and another. The un-consistency and un-clarity of land capture have been considered as the potential factor to high deforestation and land degradation in Papua.

This condition is an initial benchmark to support the argument that West Papua Provinces is appropriate to implement REDD[2]. By adopting classical REDD principle that it can only be implemented in the areas threatened of deforestation and forest degradation, then there is a possibility (not a certainty) that West Papua will be one of the forested areas are likely to get a global initiative through this scheme. REDD is present as a new initiative that provide space for the parties to sit down together and thinking of the wise land development schemes and sustainable forest management in West Papua. Classically incentive has been put as the main concerned of REDD mechanism, while we were not realized that there are many requirement of pre-condition to make REDD is work. Ongoing it has developed with a way of thinking that incentive is just the bonus of this our effort to re-regulate and re-organizing all weakness of bureaucracy, policy and development in province. Realizing REDD means: enhance carbon stock, re-regulate forestry and land use management option and derive multiple benefit for community.

As a part of forested provinces West Papua is also taken part on the effort to support Indonesia President commitment to reducing emission of green house gases. Especially from land based sector. In the last 2 years West Papua has joined on several national and regional activities and communication as part of the readiness activity. The complexity of the issues and dynamics of the development of various sectors in the region would provide a major challenge to the implementation of the sustainable development idea. The options to create the balancing between regional economic development with sustainable environment and support the increasing of quality life of community are need to be analyze properly to derive multiple benefit – economic, social and ecology.

What are the scopes of issues and activity related to REDD in West Papua?

Referring to the classic REDD+ terminology, CIFOR[3] said that there are 3 core elements REDD should achieved: incentive consist of payments for performance and appropriate policy changes. State or local governments need to provide information and reliable data about real change of forest carbon is achieved to account international funding sources. Data of forest and community are an important part of the benefits of REDD. Institution or effective institution is needed to effectively manage such information and incentive. The scope of issues been designing in West Papua are aligned with the above elements, taking into account the need of land and forest development dynamics in the region. Ensuring that REDD does not become a new threat for social interaction, the livelihood of the communities in and around the forest.

The scope of issues and activity of REDD in West Papua been designing are:

1. Activities to prevent the emission from deforestation include: changes in the functioning of forest conversion to permanent; does not issue permits for the conversion of forested land in large scale, increasing the efficiency of the use of land outside the forest
2. Activities to prevent emissions from forest destruction (degradation) including: preventing illegal logging by law enforcement and strengthening the role of communities in forest monitoring
3. Activities to protect the carbon stored in forests, including: the establishment of conservation areas; protection from forest fires; prevent forest destruction as above
4. Sustainable forest management, including: implementation of appropriate harvest technique 'reduce impact logging' by the industry or community forest management; Implementation of appropriate silvycultural systems with the aspect of environmental sustainability, encouraging the use of wood for end use that is 'permanent' [if the wood used for construction or furniture, lower emissions calculation]; enhance environmental services and non-timber forest products as another economic option beside timber
5. Activities to increase the carbon sequestration and storage of land that is not forested or in the forest include: reforestation; protection from fire and other disturbances so that the regeneration of nature walks
6. Activities to increase the active participation of community on planning, managing and monitoring the use of forests; ensure recognition of land and the right of living peoples; dispute resolution mechanism recognized by the government, well coordination and cooperation with the local government and the private sector.

As a preparation to REDD Implementation what have be done by West Papua?

Since REDD issues was booming on 2008 West Papua Provinces through provincial government were also shown their action to join the national and international discussion. It was started when West Papua Governor joined and signed the agreement of Governor Forests and Climate task force (GCF) on 2008 in Aceh together with Papua Governor, Aceh Governor, Central Kalimantan Governor and California Governor (Mr. Arnold Sauchneger). In 2009 after the LoI Indonesia Norway and the establishment of REDD+ Task Force at national level, West Papua Province established the Low Carbon Emission Development Task Force that legalized with Governor SK. The Task Force is responsible to coordinates and develop an provincial action plan and strategy for REDD+ implementation. The Task Force is consist of multistakholder parties includes Government, NGO, Community Representative and University. 

With intensive funding supports by National REDD+ Task Force the West Papua Province Strategy and Action plan to REDD+ Implementation (SRAP REDD+) was finished on December 2012 and been lunched in March 2013. At the same Time the province were also finalized and launched the Province Action Plan to Green House Gas Emission Reduction (RAD-GRK). Communication at National, Provinces and District Level were built for implementation action. Detail about the Province Strategy and Action plan REDD+ implementation is presented here: http://tapakbatas.blogspot.com/2014/06/strategi-dan-rencana-aksi-provinsi.html or/and http://www.gcftaskforce.org/documents/SRAP_west_papua_2014_ID.pdf. About 2 of 10 districts that effectively joining the meeting and process seriously they are South Sorong and Tambrauw. 

The task Force where also involved at International forum mainly as a member of Governor Climate and Forests Task Force. 

Is there any Related REDD project in West Papua Province?

The REDD project in West Papua were started since Carbon Strategic came and build commitment to run emission reduction projects in the Provinces. The initiative were started on 2008 and stopped on 2009 since no certainty in concept and areas they would implement the projects. 

In 2010 by the some person worked in Carbon Strategic the new West Papua Forests Carbon Program were announced. The project was run under the agreement between West Papua Governor with Asia Pacific Carbon (APC). The agreement has allowed APC as the only low carbon emission project developer in West Papua. About 2 million ha of threaten forests areas were asked to be the pilot sites. Improve Forests Management (IFM) and Logged to Protect approaches are in the list of APC project methodology. Join on this works to support APC are Green Collar Climate Solution (GCS) the Australian based company with long experiences in sustainable works initiative. The program was funded by First Growth Fund. They selects Teluk Wondama and Sorong as initial sites for projects development. Series of consultation at province, district and nationl level were conducted. They also has developed forest carbon stock benchmark and estimation of the emission would be thrown to air if the business as usual been applying. But then the project stopped and not sounded until now. 

While APC doing their plan another company names Emerald Planet came and explore Wondama and Kaimana as potential site they would develop low carbon projects. But it was working until 2012 and not clear came out with project concept-design or further action plan. 

Learning from these 5 years experiences of REDD Preparation, is it ready to be implemented? 

Long process of preparations and uncertainty of National and International REDD+ agreement has driven to big doubting that REDD+ would be implemented in West Papua projects in form of project been discussed so far. The preparations stages has shown that the province is not ready yet for the project implementation. On the SRAP REDD+ the analysis shown that to reach the expected and successful projects the political commitment of government leader is the keys of enabling condition. This will be followed by provision of capacity and supporting resources, and legal frameworks and agreed system to measure the performance (see picture below:)

With current preparation, REDD at this stages not efficient, effective and eligible to be implemented in West Papua. REDD would be seen as gradual forestry and land uses projects that may works when there is money available by outsider Donor. In term of benefit, with no legal scheme of benefit sharing and elites plays significant roles in the distribution the social conflict might remain available and REDD could create new forestry and agrarian problem in the province. As noted on SRAP REDD+ of West Papua Province, following are several challenges that the Government with other related parties should addressing to make it ready to works well and their progress:  

1. Spatial plan and location to implement REDD:
   The key question here is where is the location that appropriate to implement REDD in west Papua? Is the provincial spatial plan or any strategic development plan have accommodated the need of low carbon program implementation in province. What happen in West Papua is: The Spatial plan development was went with out coordination with REDD+ team so there is no guaranty that the plan has accommodating the REDD needs and allocating the space awarded to REDD.  
2. Institution There are many doubts to current Institutional system in Indonesia so do in West Papua. Government does not have enough capacity to working with this program. Forestry department as the technical body don’t have capacity too in this issues and in position of confuse for what should they do. Beside lack of capacity to support this program there are also many problems in transparency and accountability. What happen now is no clear action plan by the government to discuss what would REDD be after they have the SRAP REDD. From the institution no clear appointment where the institution would be and in what form?
3.  MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification) system and REL (Reference Emission Level). How to develop good monitoring system with standardize approaches and methodology to measure, monitor and evaluate the benefit and impact of REDD project in Province? The MRV system at national level has been approved but still be debated at national and provinces level. With specific characteristic Papua and West Papua province admired to develop specific local MRV system to monitor the performance of the carbon project. But until now no clear action about this.
4. Right to land, livelihood and right to REDD+ benefit. Who own the carbon? Clarification to right over land and resource remaining a big challenge to make sure that the benefit is shared fairly to its owner. Provide an appropriate livelihood analysis of the community as a requirement to understand the impact of REDD projects. Progress in this challenges is minim since all the parties are concentrated on carbon and emission measurement. Legal framework of REDD are not in place yet so there is no guaranty that Benefit would be shared appropriately. 
5. Develop trust fund in local level to share the benefit
   No benefit sharing mechanism related to environmental services in West Papua that might be able as a references to benefit sharing of REDD. There is still some doubt that there would have un-clear and un-transparent references such as land right compensation to forest owner recently. No clear action until now.
6.  Low Carbon Forest Management REDD as a new forest management platform should be designed to provide a chance low carbon forest management. Improve forest management with reduce impact logging technique is not yet designed. One of the hopes of forest management in a REDD scheme is in addition to ensure the preservation of the forest area which basically continue to absorb carbon from human activities on earth, this scheme is also expected to provide benefits for those who have a right to forest. REDD as a new mechanism does not necessarily limited the society and other actors to take advantage of forest economics forest resources therein. So the need to design appropriate silvycultural system in West Papua are adopting some Principles in REDD becomes a necessity REDD. Some steps has been starting in several NGOs project site such as Village Forests in Kaimana but with minimum attention by government the projects would potentially collapse. 
7. Law enforcement and arbitration
   It’s agreed that West Papua was one of the area with high natural resources management conflict. On the other side the investment is increase but there is no option to dispute resolution of this conflict. REDD require clear arbitration option and law enforcement as a part of social and financial safeguard. at least there are three important roles of law enforcement and arbitration in relation to REDD +: as a way to achieve conflict resolution of right to land and forests as a requirement of REDD +; to ensure the protection rights of all parties in REDD + agreement, both forest owners and investors in REDD +, and the way to reduce pressure on the forest illegally. No action until now about this. 
8. Participation, the right to approve or reject, and information disclosure
   Participation by communities affected by REDD+ project is essential in order to make sure that REDD+ in West Papua does not has a conflict with the aspirations of the people. Participation to know and decide for REDD+ is the right all elements of society who are affected - including men and women, the poor and the characters, and all ethnic / tribal. No progress until now. 

     

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[1] Tokede, J. Max. 2012. IMPLIKASI KEBIJAKAN   INVESTASI PENGELOLAAN SUMBERDAYA ALAM DI PROVINSI PAPUA BARAT (TERHADAP PERUBAHAN SOSIAL, HAK MASYARAKAT ADAT, DAYA DUKUNG LINGKUNGAN DAN PEMBANGUNAN RENDAH KARBON). Materi disampaikan pada Lokakarya  TFPLC-PAPUA BARAT, SwissBel-Hotel, 14 Februari 2012

[2] REDDLewis Tyndall and James Schultz. 2011. GCSThe West Papua Forest Carbon ProgramPublic Private Partnership and REDD. Greencollar climate solution (GCS - FGF).

[3] Arild Angelsen. 2009. Realising REDD+ National strategy and policy options. CIFOR.