Asia governors call for forest focus in climate deal

Singapore: Asian governors from forest-rich countries, gathering in Singapore on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting this week, are urging world leaders to place forests at the forefront of climate change discussions.

The participating governors, convened by the Asian Development Bank, are discussing compensation under the emerging global forest carbon market – including the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) mechanism – to support local development in their regions and protect forests.

Specifically, the Heart of Borneo (HoB) Initiative was raised as a prime example of the sort of action needed in the region to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The HoB was established in 2007 by joint declaration of the three Bornean governments - Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei - and commits to the preservation and sustainable development of around 240,000 km2 area of continuous forest in the Heart of Borneo.

Speaking at the meeting, Indonesia’s governor of central Kalimantan (on the island of Borneo), the Honourable Augustin Teras Narang, said:

“The Heart of Borneo Initiative is an opportunity to address climate change through REDD, sustainable forest management and payment for environmental services, but we need real incentives and equitable financing mechanisms to realise the ambitious goals of the Heart of Borneo.”

Large scale carbon-rich forest landscapes such as the Heart of Borneo can play a major role in achieving emission reduction targets while conserving and sustainably managing the forests of Borneo.

The Heart of Borneo is one of the most important centres of biodiversity with record rates of endemism. In addition, the tropical forest and important peatlands of the region hold significant amounts of carbon and play a vital role in mitigating global warming.

"The Heart of Borneo is a global treasure chest of ecosystem goods and services, but these life-sustaining functions are not valued or properly compensated,” said Adam J. Tomasek, WWF's Leader for the Heart of Borneo Initiative. “It is important that the bold commitments made by the three governments under the Heart of Borneo are met with new and viable financing mechanisms for large-scale forest conservation and sustainable management. Equitable compensation for REDD is not just a good idea, it is absolutely necessary,” he said.

At the closing reception, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda highlighted the importance of initiatives such as REDD in addressing climate change.

“Addressing climate change, via reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation, is one of the central goals of the ADB,” he said.

The ADB and WWF are jointly supporting the Heart of Borneo initiative by mobilizing much needed financial and technical resources to deliver the goals agreed by the three Bornean governments.