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Belantara Foundation on Presenting Agroforestry Peatland Restoration at COP27 UNFCCC Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

The Indonesian Pavilion was present for two weeks at the 27th COP event, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 6 to 18 November 2022. "Stronger Climate Actions Together" was chosen as the following theme by the Indonesian Pavilion this year. This theme embodies various actions, strategies, innovations, and achievements as a concrete manifestation of leading climate action to prevent global temperature rise. Belantara Foundation was present and shared our story on peatland restoration program on Community Forest land (HKm) with an agroforestry pattern to the international community through Indonesian Pavilion event at this COP27 momentum.

 

Restoration of peatlands in production forest areas managed by communities through social forestry schemes such as HKm has potential to make a promising contribution to achieving the Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) Net Sink 2030 target. The existence of peatlands is very important for global efforts to combat climate change and achieve other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), engaging and assisting in the transition to a low-carbon society, lowering environmental temperatures in surrounding areas, providing nature-based solutions including regulating soil hydrological systems, providing food, fiber and other local products that sustain the economy, protection from extreme heat, minimizing the risk of floods and droughts and preventing seawater intrusion.

 

Belantara Foundation together with Wono Lestari Forest Farmers Group (Gapoktanhut), local stakeholders, and supported by KPHP Tanjung Jabung Timur Unit XIV, Planting One Tree and APP Sinar Mas developed a peatland protection and restoration program through agroforestry. This program is located in a social forestry area, namely a 93-ha community forest in Jati Mulyo Village, Jambi Province. This area is also adjacent to and adjacent to the Londrang Peat Protection Forest which is part of one of the important peat hydrological areas in Jambi Province.

 

In 2018, Gapoktanhut Wono Lestari in Jati Mulyo Village, Dendang District, East Tanjung Jabung Regency Jambi obtained a 30-year Community Forest management permit from Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Community forest is a state forest that is managed by the community through social forestry, the utilization of which is aimed at empowering local communities by granting rights to communities to use land sustainably and sustainably so that they can maintain forest and environmental functions, and improve people's welfare.

 

“Through social forestry schemes, local communities in Indonesia can have the right to manage and utilize, which can simultaneously contribute to restoring forest areas. This scheme offers conditions that allow for long-term restoration of peatlands, not only in line with the global agenda in climate mitigation but also able to encourage the sustainable socio-economic improvement of local communities," said Executive Director of Belantara Foundation, Dr. Dolly Priatna in his presentation at the Talkshow & Discussion session with the theme "Mycorrhizas for Carbon Stock Improvement and Livelihood Security to Support Standardization of Sustainable Management Practices and Climate Change Issues" at Indonesian Pavilion at Tonino Lamborghini venue, Sharm El Sheikh International Congress Center, in COP27 series in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday (14/11/2022).

 

In line with Dolly, Chair of Gapoktanhut Wono Lestari, Riyanto said that the agroforestry program carried out with Belantara Foundation can assist communities in managing and sustainably utilizing degraded peatlands for community welfare and environmental sustainability.

 

Meanwhile, Head of KPHP Tanjung Jabung Timur Unit XIV, M. Izuddin said that KPHP Tanjung Jabung Timur Unit XIV has the main task of protecting and restoring peatlands. Therefore, KPHP Tanjung Jabung Timur Unit XIV fully supports the collaboration carried out with Belantara Foundation, Gapoktanhut Wono Lestari, and other stakeholders.

 

Dolly, who is also a lecturer at Graduate School of Pakuan University, added that one method that can support the community-based restoration of degraded peatlands is to plant trees using multi-purpose tree species. Multi-use plant species provide many benefits on limited land, including as a source of feed, assisting in hydrological regulation, increasing biomass, improving soil quality, and increasing the productivity of degraded land.

 

The implementation of this program includes preparing and increasing capacity of community groups, preparing approximately 31,000 multi-use plant seeds, nurseries, and work huts, land ready for planting, as well as support for program monitoring and evaluation.

 

"In early November 2022, we will start planting with a target of 30 ha. This planting was divided into 2 stages, namely the first stage for planting betel nut (Areca catechu), jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), and dogfruit (Archidendron pauciflorum) seeds while the second stage planting liberica coffee (Coffea liberica) and gaharu (Aquilaria malaccensis) species which will be carried out on next 5 months. This is a form of a win-win solution, in which the community gets socio-economic benefits as well as repairing degraded peatlands," said Dolly.

 

In closing, Dolly who is also Head of LPPM (Institute for Research and Community Service) at Pakuan University, said that the involvement of the community as an actor, Belantara Foundation as a facilitator, and support from local stakeholders as well as funding support from donors including the private sector such as APP Sinar Mas is an important factor to ensure the success of peat recovery and restoration program in a sustainable manner.

 
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