Responsibly Managed Plantations On Peatland – A Positive Story

Responsibly Managed Plantations On Peatland – A Positive Story

• 1.
  The Big Picture Peatland, Development, Forestry & Conservation 27 June 2012 1 June 2012 1
• 2.
  Global demand forfibre is increasing • The World’s population could reach 9.2 billion people by 2050 (UN) • Fibre from planted forests will need to increase from 800 million cubic metres to 2.7 billion cubic metres by 2050 (WBCSD Vision 2050) • Responsible plantation development now - sustainable fibre for the future • Indonesia – a real opportunity to lead the World in this sector: tree growth rates, land availability, cost of production, ability to invest in technology and capacity, productivity and proximity to key growth markets 2
• 3.
  Riau – driverof national development • Riau accounted for 6.5% of Indonesia’s national GDP in 2010 • Population in 2010 of 6 million, up almost 100% in 20 years • Private sector – key to increasing Riau’s GDP by 250% in the past 5 years • Poverty as a % of the population reduced by almost 30% since 2007 3
• 4.
  Forestry – helpingthe economy • RAPP has contributed IDR 196 trillion (USD 21.7 billion) to the National Output • 6.9% of Riau Province’s economic output • 6.1% of Riau’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) • 5.4% of all household income in Riau • Employment opportunities in Riau for 90,000 people in 2010 • Multiplier on Provincial output of 2.29 times, 2.36 times on household income and 5.7 times on employment Source: 2010 University of Indonesia study covering 1999 – 2010 4
• 5.
  Forestry – helpingpeople Focused on education, health and infrastructure – covering 140 villages and 3,000 families • Free medical treatment for 36,700 people • 500 farmers trained in integrated farming • 76,000Ha of community livelihood projects • 5,000 local community jobs through SMEs • 2,800 scholarships up to senior high school • Training activities for 150 teachers • Constructed and renovated 20 school buildings since 2008 5
• 6.
  A key question- answered Why we operate on peatland… • We saw a commercial opportunity 20 years ago to become a key plantation-based fibre supplier • Riau had a development imperative • Government concessions on peatland were available • A profitable business – that supports investment in science and development of responsible land management 6
• 7.
  The most importantquestions Consider that: The real questions to our mind are therefore: • 40% of Riau is on peatland - • How can the areas of peat mineral soil developed first already converted or and now scarce degraded be best managed • 85% of that peatland is - to further Riau’s agenda already degraded or AND contribute to converted for agricultural environmental goals? uses • Just 15% of peatland • How can the peatland forest remains intact and of strong in good condition be conservation value conserved and protected – real time, real world? 7
• 8.
  Conservation – keylearnings • A journey of almost 20 years • Our model has evolved – starting with a “Western Model” e.g. contribute land to national parks • We’ve learned over time that doesn’t always work • Then we adopted HCVF – and have learned that only works under certain conditions • Now our focus is on: - Conservation areas that we can protect - Multiple buffer zones protecting the core - Water management to maintain/improve water levels 8
• 9.
  Our Plantations inPractice Our plantations in practice  Conserving forest since 2005  36 HCV assessments  200,000 hectares of forest conserved  Added 35% to existing natural forest protected by government in Riau  Continuous community development  No-burn policy and active fire management  Energy self-sufficiency and chemical use reduction  Continual improvement of water, soil and crop management based on science  Plantations used as buffers to protect peat dome 9
• 10.
  The alternatives arestark Unmanaged Land RAPP Sustainable Land Management • Poverty and population • Adhere to regulations pressures drive encroachment • Protect conservation forests • Highly organised illegal • Rapidly replanted trees logging • Active fire fighting - “no • Slash & burn farming burn” • No designated conservation • Sophisticated water areas management • Unregulated development • Infrastructure for • No sustainability planning communities • Zero care for • Significant international workers/community development scrutiny • Loss of export income • Jobs instead of illegal logging • Economic multiplier effect 10
• 11.
  RAPP peatland management • Protection of critical headwater peat areas to maintain the integrity of the peat dome • Water management practices that ensure water levels compared to “At Take Over” levels are managed • Plantations that ring conservation areas discouraging encroachment, illegal logging, unmanaged drainage • Continually treed buffer zone between our plantation and natural forest to further influence water levels • Review and adjust plantation practices to maximise tree canopy cover, improve soil and water protection 11
• 12.
  Peatland & Carbon Overallgoals in regard to carbon emissions and peatland:  Establish a verifiable baseline range of carbon emissions from the concessions at the point at which we took them over and variations to current emissions levels  Establish a total carbon emissions footprint from all of our current operations and activities combined  Measure and progressively improve effectiveness of carbon emission reduction initiatives  Determine a carbon emissions mitigation plan for the long term, towards stable, sustainable land use – now and for the future 12
• 13.
  More work tobe done • Embarked on a comprehensive and long-range programme with a number of third- party experts to build knowledge about carbon emission • Commissioned or participating in a number of scientific projects to gain a more complete picture of the relationships between peatland, carbon and forestry activities • Activities include:  Pioneering participation in a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) programme undertaken by independent third parties on behalf of the Indonesia government measuring against 19 indicators relevant to peatland  Facilitating field work and other scientific study by the Bogor Institute, Hokkaido University and other academic bodies focused on peatland 13
• 14.
  In summary… • Somesee plantations and effective peatland management as contradictory • We see responsible plantation development as a real-world solution – balancing development, sustainability and conservation • The alternatives are stark • We continue to develop knowledge and best practices • John Bathgate will provide detail 14
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  The Big Picture Peatland, Development, Forestry & Conservation 27 June 2012 15 June 2012 15