Imagine Indonesia with restored forests, mangroves
Source：The Jakarta Post
From：Taiwan Trade Center, Jakarta
Update Time：2019/11/21
The President would be building on a series of impressive environmental achievements in his first term of office, including the establishment of a series of moratoriums on primary forest and peatland conversion, as well as strong progress in tackling marine pollution and overfishing. His government also established a strong national policy framework to this end, the so-called Low Carbon Development Initiative prepared by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).
In pursuing even greater ambition in President Jokowi’s second term, Indonesia could be a beacon to the world, at a time when environmental leadership is sorely needed. It could also inspire other countries in the region, as well as in the Group of 20, to raise their game.
Here are four respectful suggestions, among many potential avenues of action, which could form part of this positive environmental legacy:
• Pursue an alternative development path in Indonesia’s highly forested provinces. The four provinces of Aceh, North Kalimantan, Papua and West Papua remain home to some of the world’s most important valuable tropical rainforests (as well as marine ecosystems).
• End the forest fires and incentivize those who manage the land to no longer use fire as means of managing the land. The work of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) has made encouraging advances in recent years in protecting and restoring Indonesia’s globally important peatlands: This work needs to be deepened and consolidated in President Jokowi’s second term, to the benefit of Indonesia’s smallholder farmers as well as all Indonesians who have suffered the health and economic impact of the fires.
• Tackle air pollution in the cities, with a full-frontal effort to establish viable public transport systems, cycle lanes, pedestrian areas and stronger environmental regulation of polluting industries in urban areas. This effort to make Indonesia’s cities greener, safer and more pleasant to live in, would be part of a broader effort to pursue renewable energy and a low carbon energy transition in the country.
• Finally, continue the President’s efforts to manage the ocean more sustainably, with more marine protected areas, better management of Indonesia’s marine fisheries, a wholesale effort to stem the tide of plastic flowing into the ocean, and a moratorium on the further loss of Indonesia’s precious mangroves.
If President Jokowi and his new Cabinet were able to tackle these four abiding challenges head-on, over the next five years, their contribution to the well-being of all Indonesia’s people would be immense. Effort across these four areas is entirely consistent with President Jokowi’s five priorities set out in his inauguration speech, in particular, economic development.
Source：https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2019/10/28/imagine-indonesia-with-restored-forests-mangroves.html