Sumatra, Indonesia — Our
volunteers and local forest communities
have halted the destruction of an area of
swamp forest in Sumatra, Indonesia. They
are building five dams across three-metre
deep canals used in logging and draining
peatland for conversion into a commercial
palm oil plantation.
Destroying the forest there would not only
breach Indonesian regulations for forest
protection, and an Indonesia's Presidential
decree, but would also lead to the release
of large quantities of greenhouse gases.
Thick layers of peat underlie most of Indonesia's
swamp forest. Over time, the peat layer
has locked up millions of tonnes of carbon.
Once forests are cleared, peat swamps are
drained and decompose to release the stored
carbon as carbon dioxide. Forests are often
also burned, prior to the planting of palm
oil saplings, further compounding the climate
problem.
Such is the scale of forest destruction
across Indonesia that the huge amounts of
greenhouse gases being emitted have made
the country into the world's third largest
climate polluter, behind the US and China.
More than 30 volunteers will work for a
week with people from the nearby village
to construct the dams. By halting drainage
operations, the dams will prevent the peatland
from drying out and releasing carbon dioxide,
the leading greenhouse gas. The dams will
also prevent the palm oil company from illegally
burning the currently waterlogged peatland,
which would otherwise further add to global
warming.
"Palm oil companies are breaking the
law and draining the very life out of Indonesia's
remaining peatland forests," said Hapsoro,
Greenpeace South East Asia forest campaigner.
"And they are adding substantially
to the problem of global warming."
The damming is taking place on a plantation
held by the PT Duta Palma company. Our on-site
investigations of the peatlands, conducted
from the Forest Defenders Camp in Riau,
and together with peatland experts, have
brought to light the flagrant violations
of regulations intended to protect these
areas.
In addition to efforts to highlight and
halt peatland forest destruction in this
one particular area, we are also attempting
to promote long-term solutions to deforestation
in Indonesia.
Indonesia will be hosting the next round
of international climate talks in December.
Governments from around the world will gather
in Bali to negotiate about extending the
Kyoto Protocol - the only international
agreement containing legally-binding limits
on greenhouse gas emissions.
We aim to ensure that deforestation is
included in the next phase of the Kyoto
agreement, extending beyond 2012. The decisions
that governments make in the near future
are critical for securing the financing
and capacity needed by countries to safeguard
their tropical forests and to allow them
to make a serious contribution to global
efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We know it is possible to keep the worst
impacts of climate change - such as extreme
weather events, water crises and increased
hunger - from putting millions of people
at risk.
This will take a revolution in the way
we use and produce energy, and a strong
commitment to halt deforestation worldwide.
More governments need to commit to tougher
emissions reduction targets in the second
phase of the Kyoto Protocol.
