Deforestation in the Indonesian rainforest: drivers, local impacts, global ramifications

Deforestation in the Indonesian rainforest: drivers, local impacts, global ramifications
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Abstract
Indonesia has been ranked third after the US and China in its contribution to the global carbon emissions mainly because of deforestation. The main drivers of deforestation include the expansive pulp industry that clears areas such as peat lands, unlawful logging, forest fires, mining, agricultural activities and state’s reliance on natural resources. The government has weak law enforcement structures for protecting Indonesian rainforests. Maintaining adequate forest cover is very crucial in alleviating the negative impacts such as rising sea level, ice cover, climate changes, floods, destroyed animal habitats and destroyed carbon sinks which increases carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. These affect consequences affect both the local and global environmental conditions. This report utilizes studies done by environmental focused international organizations to establish the causes of rampant deforestation and its impact on the locals and the global environment. It addresses the drivers of deforestation in Indonesia, its local and global impact and outlines recommendations to the government and nongovernmental organizations on how to address the problem.
A 2012 study indicated that deforestation rates over the last 30 years in Indonesia have been considerably high. It cited a 2.7 percent and 1.3 percent deforestation rate per year in Sumatra and Kalimantan respectively (Indrarto, Murhajanti and Khatarina 37). Seventy percent of Indonesian landmass is under the Ministry of Forestry stewardship and the law requires that it is gazetted as state owned forest areas. It is however very unfortunate that out of the 70 percent state owned forest areas, only ten percent is gazetted. The remaining sixty percent of the forest area is ungazetted and it is governed according to unsynchronized laws.
Due to lack of standardized laws to govern these areas, locals have occupied them and they claim ownership under customary rights. The locals use the forests for activities such as oil palm plantations (Dunlop 15). The government instituted a clearance permit ban to protect forests but it is still unclear. It does not clearly outline what kinds of forests are included in the ban and thus the ban is deemed as not drastic enough (Gilbert n.p.). The government and the nongovernmental organizations in Indonesia require pushing for stronger implementation of laws that protect forest encroachment to reduce deforestation. There is a great need to protect forest areas that have high conservation value such as the carbon rich peat lands.
The weak governance systems in the national and local levels provide the opportunity for many companies and private individuals to encroach on the Indonesian forest areas. The main drivers of increased encroachment into the forest in Indonesia are the expansive palm oil plantations, rampant forest fires, unlawful logging, clearing for agricultural ventures and mining. Forest fires to clear the land or palm oil plantations and unlawful logging are triggered by the need to provide forest based products for the local and foreign markets particularly because Indonesia’s economy is heavily dependent on natural resources. The high population growth rate and the need to facilitate settlement of those in transmigration programs result in clearing of large forest areas for agricultural purposes.
The government allows the extraction of timber and estate crops that provide raw materials to the pulp and palm oil industries. These industries provide the government with a secure source of revenue. In 2010, the natural resources industry contributed almost seventy four percent of the total state revenue in 2006 (Dunlop 11). Earnings from the pulp and paper industry which depend on forestry constituted USD$4.1 billion in 2010. The government also heavily depends on revenue from mining industries which operate in the rainforest and exacerbate deforestation (Dunlop 9). Between 2005 and 2008, it is reported that the Indonesian the mining sector revenue increased by almost fifty four percent per year. Mining, pulp and palm oil sectors occur in the rainforests provide about 2.4 percent of the total GDP (Angelsen 80).
Palm oil plantations constitute the largest driver of deforestation in Indonesia (Orangutan.org n.p.). Clearing of forest areas for palm oil plantations mainly occurs in peat swamp forests which normally function a carbon sinks. As carbon sinks, the swamps have high volumes of carbon in both the soil and trees. Individuals cut down the tree, drain the peat swamps and sometimes burn the decaying material resulting to substantial release of large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The amount released is even greater when the peat areas are burnt to ease the clearing process. International environment bodies show that this leads to over two thousand five hundred percent more global warming gas emissions than from diesel (Bringezu n.p.). The Central Sumatra Riau province of Indonesia has the highest rate of deforestation for palm oil industrial plantations. A report indicates that almost seventy percent of the forest and swamps have been cleared over a period of twenty five years. The report shows that the forest cover has declined from 75 percent to a meager 27 percent over the two and a half decade period (Aldred n.p.).
Burning of the rainforests in Indonesia contributes significantly to the global carbon dioxide emissions which cause global warming (Orangutan.org n.p.). Accumulation of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere hinders the release of heat into space. This increases temperatures in the world, impacting negatively on weather patterns, ice covers and increase sea levels (Howden n.p.). Reports indicate that rainforest deforestation accounts for fifteen percent of the world’s global warming every year. This rate of global warming is higher than the contribution from all automobiles including ships, trucks, and planes globally (Union of Concerned Scientists n.p.). Rampant deforestation in Indonesia has attracted considerable global attention owing to the large greenhouse gas emissions from the country. The country ranks third globally for green house emission and this has significant implications for climate change both locally and internationally (Measey 37).
Scientists have released studies showing that one day of defore...