Indonesia Okays Moratorium On New Logging Concessions For Two Years

Indonesia, which has allowed widespread destruction of its tropical forests in recent decades, has announced it will impose a two-year moratorium on new forestry concessions beginning in 2011. In exchange, the Norwegian government — which has played a key role in trying to slow deforestation worldwide — will give Indonesia $1 billion to preserve forests and promote sustainable forestry programs. Conservation groups reacted cautiously to the announcement, noting that logging concessions already granted to companies will be honored. Greenpeace said  the Indonesian government recently granted a concession for companies to convert a 4-million-acre forest tract in western New Guinea into palm oil plantations. Greenpeace also said it was concerned that, in advance of the imposition of the moratorium next year, the Indonesian government might grant many new logging concessions. Nevertheless, Greenpeace acknowledged a moratorium was a step in the right direction for Indonesia, which has the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emissions due primarily to forest loss. Norway is committing $4 billion worldwide to forest preservation programs known as REDD — Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation.