Refining REDD+ in Indonesia: Policy Recommendations for Increasing Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Equity

Abstract

Indonesia is the third largest green house gas emitter in the world with much of these emissions attributed to large scale deforestation. The government has recognized the role that deforestation is playing in contributing to the effects of climate change, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has already committed to unilaterally reducing Indonesia’s emissions. Toward this effort, Indonesia has championed its involvement in the United Nations program on Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and enchancing forest carbon stocksm or REDD+. The REDD+ program in Indonesia is designed to reduce emissions by aligning development and market incentives with environmental protection. If REDD+ is successfully implemented, Indonesia’s vast tropical forests will qualify for carbon crediting, drawing funds from international investors to offset the costs of preservation. In the long term, these carbon markets could provide Indonesia with a valuable source of income, however at present, Indonesia is still laying the groundwork for REDD+.