Effective moratoria on land acquisitions reduce tropical deforestation: evidence from Indonesia

Abstract

The tropics have suffered substantial forest loss, and elevated deforestation rates have been closely linked to large-scale land acquisitions (LSLA). Having a timely and accurate understanding of global LSLA pattern will be critically important for concluding related policies and actions. Here, we investigate global LSLA networks and find that land acquisitions are characterized by dominant acquisition flows from the developing to the developed world (75.4%), and less of these flows are retained within the developing world (22.8%) or the developed world (1.8%). Policy-driven moratoria on existing LSLA are a key mechanism used to minimize global forest loss and recently employed in Indonesia, however their effectiveness remains unclear given a lack of quantitative synthesis. Based on a spatially-explicit temporal analysis of forest loss from 2001-2017, we find that, as a whole of Indonesia, the increased forest loss rate of 0.091 Mha yr −1 (2001-2011) slowed down to 0.001 Mha yr −1 (2012-2017) after moratoria established in 2011. Meanwhile, based on a comparison of annual forest loss in logging, timber, and oil palm concessions, we find that land concessions outside the moratorium experienced 35%-396% higher rates of forest loss than in comparable land concessions within the moratorium. Decreased forest loss from full implementation of moratoria on all land concessions could mitigate a maximum aboveground biomass carbon emission of 112 888±24 766 Mg C yr −1 , which is a nearly 41.89% reduction relative to the counterfactual scenario of no moratorium. These findings lend support for international cooperation and collective action to put into practice effective land moratoria to reverse decade-long trajectories of tropical forest loss.

Short‐ and long‐term carbon emissions from oil palm plantations converted from logged tropical peat swamp forest

“…We have shown that the impact of these fluxes on the atmospheric carbon pool can be larger than emission factors for soil carbon loss alone might suggest, and that is highly unlikely that ‘carbon debts’ incurred early in a plantation lifecycle could be recouped over the remaining years. Evidence has shown that moratoria on peatland conversion within protected areas can be effective (Chen et al, 2019) but huge challenges remain, and newly identified areas of extensive peatland being reported from tropical zones across the globe (Lähteenoja & Page, 2011; Xu et al, 2018) reveal regions that may be particularly vulnerable to land‐use change. Despite policy development in South East Asia, limitations in regulatory frameworks and enforcement capabilities combined with political and socio‐economic factors still challenge peatland protection (Padfield et al, 2016; Wijedasa et al, 2018).…”

Palm Oil and the Politics of Deforestation in Indonesia

“…The positive effects of the transition to large-scale oil palm agriculture remain locally contested, as they have been accompanied by large losses in natural landscapes, negative ecological outcomes, and reductions in biodiversity services (Austin et al, 2019(Austin et al, , 2017Clough et al, 2016;Denmead et al, 2017). Licensing oil palm production has been shown to double deforestation rates (Busch et al, 2015;Chen et al, 2019). In addition to the environmental externalities, the expansion of the palm oil industry has been related to land consolidation, conflict over traditional land rights, and water scarcity (Colchester et al, 2007;Rist et al, 2010;Abram et al, 2017;Merten et al, 2016).…”

Timberland Investing and Private Property Rights in the United States of America

“…(Sguazzin & Mbatha, 2019). In Indonesia, there is a continuing moratorium on new timber leases (Chen et al, 2019). In Cambodia, allegations persist that the country's ruling elite, including its government and military, has perpetuated human rights violations by grabbing land and forcibly evicting an estimated 350,000 people over the past two decades (Vidal & Bowcott, 2016).…”