The AU$10 million Environmental Governance program focused on reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in Indonesia by addressing the drivers of forest and land fires through better land management practices. It was part of Australia’s AU$16 million Land Care package aimed at helping countries in the Southeast Asia region meet their emission targets.

Key activities

The 2015 forest and land fires in Indonesia caused an economic loss of US$16 billion and contributed to over 1 billion tons of CO2 to global GHG emissions. The forest and land fires are an annual crisis and significant contributor to GHG emissions. To support the Government of Indonesia’s (GoI) efforts to prevent the recurrence of fires and to reduce emissions, the Government of Australia (GoA) launched the Environmental Governance program.

Through technical experts from GoA and multilateral agencies, the Environmental Governance program partnered with GoI to help improve sustainable land management practices, and strengthen governance and law enforcement. The program consisted of four activities:

Indonesia Sustainable Landscape Management

Delivered through World Bank’s Multi-donor Trust Fund

The Indonesia Sustainable Landscape Management (IDSLM) Multi-donor Trust Fund offers a comprehensive approach to address land and forest fires through improved integration and coordination of landscape management across multi-sector stakeholders. The mechanism provides flexible support to assist coordination and implementation of GoI’s efforts in the sector, including for the One Map initiative and the Grand Design for Forest, Plantation, and Land Fire Prevention. Support includes technical assistance, analytical work, knowledge sharing, policy dialogue, and coordination and capacity building activities across: i) Land and land-use information management; ii) Lowlands management; and iii) Forest and land fires management.

World Bank is working closely with the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF), as well as other relevant agencies such as the National Agrarian Agency (Badan Pertanahan Nasional/BPN) and National Geospatial Agency (Badan Informasi Geospasial/BIG).

Support to Institutionalizing Multi-Door Approach to Counter Environment-related Crimes

Delivered through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The Multi-Door Approach (MDA) activity focused on strengthening law enforcement – inquiry, investigation and prosecution – of forestry and other environment-related crimes. The activity provided technical support and capacity building activities to institutionalise MDA in relevant agencies, including establishing an MDA Secretariat at MoEF, and coordinate law enforcement and processing of priority cases.

UNDP worked closely with MoEF’s Directorate General of Law Enforcement, and the Attorney General Office. UNDP also coordinated with other relevant agencies such as the Corruption Eradication Commission (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi/KPK), and the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (Pusat Pelaporan dan Analisis Transaksi Keuangan/PPATK).

Improving Indonesia’s Measurement, Reporting and Verification System

Delivered through Australia’s Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER)

This activity supported GoI’s implementation and continuous improvement of its GHG Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system, ensuring robustness of Indonesia’s emissions reporting to the UNFCCC. It extended technical assistance and capacity building activities to improve data quality (availability, clarity, accuracy, completeness, comprehensiveness) on emissions from the land sector, as well as to develop a framework for inter-agency collaboration on data collection and reporting. DISER helped to ensure that the support extended complements other MRV-related initiatives, and the results can be integrated in the National Registry System.

DISER worked closely with the MoEF’s Research, Development and Innovation Agency (Badan Penelitian, Pengembangan dan Inovasi/BLI). DISER also leveraged and utilised its networks of partnerships and involvement with other global MRV programmes such as the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the Global Forest Observations Initiative.

Improving Community Fire Management and Peatland Rehabilitation in Indonesia

Delivered through Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR)

This inter-disciplinary research activity focused on reducing unwanted peatland fires through generation of new knowledge to underpin peatland restoration, and develop sustainable livelihoods in restored peatlands. Key areas of the research included the socio-economic and biophysical drivers of peatland fire, inclusive and sustainable livelihood options in rewetted peat, and the policy landscape of peatland restoration.

The activity built on partnerships both within Australian institutions (CSIRO, Australian National University/ANU, La Trobe University, James Cook University, and the University of the Sunshine Coast) and with Indonesian organisations (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation/BOSF, Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta/YTS, Bogor Agricultural University, and the University of Palangka Raya).

ACIAR worked closely with GoI partners, including MoEF’s BLI and the-then Peat Restoration Agency (Badan Restorasi Gambut/BRG).

Contact

Rachmi Anindita
Senior Program Manager – Environmental Governance and Climate Change
Australian Embassy Jakarta

Phone: 021-25505409 or 0811-8072484

Email: Rachmi.Anindita@dfat.gov.au