REDD+ potential funds reach up to Rp270 trillion: CIFOR

The potential flow of funds from advanced nations to developing countries to deal with deforestation through REDD+ programs is estimated to reach up to US$30 billion or Rp270 trillion annually, according to the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

“The potential funds flow from developed countries to developing nations for REDD+ programs is quite huge, reaching 30 billion US dollars,” Budhy Kristanty, the spokesman of CIFOR said here on Monday.

The REDD+ (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus) is a global mechanism to reduce emission and deforestation as well as forest degradation.

Under the REDD+ mechanism, it has also been agreed globally to boost conservation and sustainable forest management as well as to icnrease the world forest carbon reserves.

Budhy said Indonesia has the highest number of REDD+ pilot projects in various development stages.

“Indonesia has become an early participant in various bilateral and multilateral initiatives to prepare the implementation of REDD+ at the national level,” he said.

The REDD+ program implementation plan at the national level will be discussed in a CIFOR conference on the future of Indonesian forests and the climate change to be held in Jakarta on Tuesday (Sept 27).

The conference is expected to be participated in by around 1,000 people consisting of experts, NGO activists and forest stakeholders.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to official open the conference.

The one-day conference is entitled “Forests Indonesia: Alternative futures to meet demands for food, fiber, fuel and REDD+”.

The conference will feature agenda-setting keynote speakers and a series of engaging forums under two themes, namely “Trade and investment: Implications for forests”, and “REDD+ in transition to a low-carbon future.”