Reforestation Opportunities in Indonesia: Mitigating Climate Change and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Reforestation in the tropics is highlighted as an important intervention to mitigate climate change globally because of its potential for high CO2 removal rates, ranging from 4.5 to 40.7 t CO2e ha−1 yr−1 during the first 20 years of tree growth. Reforestation is critical to meeting emissions’ targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, as well as achieving Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets. Increasing carbon stocks through forest and land rehabilitation activities (RHL) is one of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF) five main strategies for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the land sector. This study focuses on reforestation opportunities to support Indonesia’s NDC in reducing GHG emissions by 2030. We identified unproductive areas of land (shrub, open land) with highly degraded conditions as potential areas for reforestation. Based on Indonesian data of land cover change, we found that reforestation activities during 2019–2030 (11 years) under a realistic, ambitious and very ambitious scenario may remove carbon up to −0.25 GtCO2e (equal to −23 MtCO2e yr−1), −1.3 GtCO2e (equal to −124 MtCO2e yr−1) and −2.7 GtCO2e (equal to −247 MtCO2e yr−1), respectively. Based on international data of land cover change (Hansen et al. 2013), reforestation activities during 2019–2030, under a realistic, ambitious, and very ambitious scenario, have the opportunities to remove −17 MtCO2e yr−1, −118 MtCO2e yr−1, and −241 MtCO2e yr−1, respectively. This study demonstrates that ambitious and very ambitious scenarios of reforestation activities can significantly contribute to Indonesia’s forestry-related NDC in 2030 by reducing the Indonesia Business As Usual (BAU) emissions up to 17% and 35%.

Mapping Annual Global Forest Gain From 1983 to 2021 With Landsat Imagery

“…The re-vegetation policies of the Grain-for-Green Project in China [13,22] and the Green India Mission [58] help to increase the forest cover. In Indonesia, the government's efforts to reduce deforestation and promote reforestation have also led to an increase in forest gain [59]. ( 6) For Australia and Oceania, the areas of high forest gain intensity are mainly located in Australia, which could be attributed to afforestation and reforestation policies, as well as natural regeneration after disturbances such as fires and logging [60].…”

Natural climate solutions in Indonesia: wetlands are the key to achieve Indonesia’s national climate commitment

“…Kalimantan has the highest mitigation potential from AFC (62.9 MtCO 2 e yr −1 ), followed by Sumatra (40.8 MtCO 2 e yr −1 ). For reforestation, the mitigation potential under the ambitious scenario (Basuki et al 2022) is 124.1 ± 12 MtCO 2 e yr −1 . Potential dryland restoration area is 9.5 Mha, 62% of which is in state-forest areas (Basuki et al 2022).…”

“…For reforestation, the mitigation potential under the ambitious scenario (Basuki et al 2022) is 124.1 ± 12 MtCO 2 e yr −1 . Potential dryland restoration area is 9.5 Mha, 62% of which is in state-forest areas (Basuki et al 2022). CSF has the smallest mitigation potential compared to other pathways (10.9 ± 2.2 MtCO 2 e yr −1 ).…”

“…Thus, maximum climate mitigation potential for reforestation could only be achieved with a large-scale restoration program (i.e. 19 Mha) potentially reaching 247 MtCO 2 e yr −1 (Basuki et al 2022).…”

Potential development of partnership agroforestry as carbon farming in KHDTK Rarung, Central Lombok

“…Achieving emission reduction targets is the responsibility of each sector, but the forestry and land use sectors are expected to be able to make the largest contribution to this effort, amounting to 17 percent of the overall 29 percent projected under the NDC [4]. Forest and land rehabilitation will assist in achieving the goals outlined in the NDC with significant efforts [5]. From 1990-2019, deforestation in Indonesia decreased from 3.51 million hectares to 0.46 million hectares [6].…”