Press release - February 26, 2011
Jakarta, Indonesia, 26 February 2011 -- Greenpeace has obtained a copy of a draft moratorium on forest destruction in Indonesia, due to be announced in days, that shows it will fail to protect vital rainforests, unless urgent action is taken to increase its coverage.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s proposed “moratorium” will fail to protect 45 million hectares of natural forest and peatland, e.g. an area almost twice the size of the United Kingdom, as shown by new maps produced by Greenpeace using the best available government data.
This covers the vast majority of forests that provide habitat to orang-utans, tigers and other endangered species, and does little to protect forests that are not already off limits under Indonesia's existing laws.
“The proposed moratorium is utterly inadequate. It continues to allow the paper and palm oil industries to destroy Indonesia's rainforests, carbon-rich peatlands and biodiversity. The Government needs to take effective action that will actually protect the rainforest and the lives that depend on them now; the forests cannot wait,” said Yuyun Indradi, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Forest Campaigner.
The majority of remaining forested orang-utan habitat in Indonesia would not be protected by the proposed moratorium. In fact, Greenpeace’s maps show that the moratorium would only protect an additional 12 million hectares of forest, the vast majority of which are located in the least accessible areas of Papua and Kalimantan and are not under immediate threat of conversion.
Earlier this month the Sinar Mas Group's palm oil arm, Golden Agri-Resources, became an industry leader by announcing a new plan to stop deforestation, which if properly implemented would protect high carbon value forests. (1)
“If the Government’s current proposal goes ahead, it will undermine its pledge to slash over 40 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions and global efforts to tackle climate change,” said Yuyun.
Notes to Editors:
(1) To meet this commitment, GAR has set a provisional threshold and will not be developing land which contains over 35 tonnes of carbon per hectare. The 400 member Consumer Goods Forum and major corporations like Unilever and Nestle have also said they will adopt zero deforestation policies after Greenpeace informed them that their products may be driving deforestation in Indonesia and elsewhere.
Contact:
In Jakarta, Indonesia:
Yuyun Indradi, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Poltical Advisor, Jakarta tel: + 82 812 2616 1759
Zam Zami, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Media campaigner, Jakarta tel: +62 811 750 3918
In the USA:
Rolf Skar, Greenpeace US Senior Forest Campaigner, San Francisco +1 415 533 2888
Roman Czebiniak, Greenpeace International Senior Political Advisor on Climate Change & Forests, San Francisco +1 415 812 0015
In Oslo, Norway:
Henning Reinton, Greenpeace Nordic Communications Manager, Oslo +47 91600474
Truls Gulowsen, Greenpeace Nordic Campaigns Manager, Oslo +47 90107904
For photo and footage contact:
Jiri Rezac , Greenpeace International photo desk, tel: +31 (0) 624 941 965
Maarten van Rouvery, Greenpeace International video desk, tel: +31 646197322