Decentralize to save the forest<\/p>\n
Luca Tacconi, Senior Economist, Center for International
\nForestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor<\/p>\n
In recent times the media has carried a number of stories
\nabout the government's reforestation program. While this is a
\nlaudable initiative, given the current governance problems
\naffecting the management of Indonesian forests and forest land,
\nthe initiative may prove unviable.<\/p>\n
The government intends to spend Rp 12.7 trillion to reforest 3
\nmillion hectares of degraded land over 5 years. In 2003, Rp 1.2
\ntrillion will be spent in an attempt to replant 300,000 hectares.
\nThe program will be implemented soon even if it is not yet clear
\nwhat its real goals are, how it will be implemented and
\nmonitored, and what accountability mechanisms will be put into
\nplace.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has some 100 million hectares of forest and it loses
\nabout two million hectares every year, an area almost four times
\nthe size of Bali. Reforesting 3 million hectares over five years
\nwill have a relatively small impact on national forest cover.
\nOver five years, on the basis of current trends some 10 million
\nhectares of forest will be lost due to a range of causes,
\nincluding illegal logging.<\/p>\n
The benefits of a reforestation program would be mainly felt
\nat the local level. But what are these supposed benefits? Until
\nappropriate assessments of target degraded areas are prepared, it
\nis impossible to say whether any benefits, such as improved
\nwatershed functions, will be derived from reforestation.<\/p>\n
Without specific assessments of local conditions it is not
\neven known if reforestation is the most appropriate land use of
\nsupposedly degraded lands.<\/p>\n
Decentralization is needed to improve the management of
\nforests and to ensure the success of any reforestation program.
\nThere is a need to make local assessments of environmental
\nconditions, current land uses, preferred land uses, and best
\napproaches to improving the environmental conditions and the
\nproductivity of degraded lands.<\/p>\n
Decentralized administration, close to the local situation,
\nwould not only facilitate these assessments but are also more
\nlikely to be able to monitor progress and find more effective
\nways of managing forests and forest land.<\/p>\n
The forest legislation that gives authority over forest
\nmanagement to the central government needs to be rewritten. It
\nconflicts not only with the spirit of the decentralization
\nlegislation. But also with the Indonesian Constitution's
\nrecognition of the need for "broad decentralization" of functions
\nincluding forestry, as noted in a recent report from the World
\nBank.<\/p>\n
District and provincial governments should be given authority
\nand clear functions relating to forest management. If this does
\nnot happen, reforestation efforts will fail, large sums of money
\nwill be wasted, and deforestation will continue unchecked.<\/p>\n
However, authority and functions attributed to the regional
\ngovernments should be matched by clear environmental standards to
\nmake them accountable to both their citizens and the central
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Many countries, such as Turkey, Australia and the United
\nKingdom, have performance standards for local governments. The
\nneed to establish environmental performance reporting was
\nrecognized at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
\nDevelopment in Rio de Janeiro over 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
Local reforestation initiatives should have clear goals, be
\nscientifically sound, and have clearly established progress
\nindicators. They should be monitored over time, and the outcomes
\nmade available to the public.<\/p>\n
It is not sufficient to say contractors for reforestation
\nprograms will be selected through tender. Without full
\ntransparency, contractors could win the tender and than do a
\nterrible job at replanting and maintaining the trees. Or even
\nworse, they could bribe public officials in order to avoid
\ncompliance with the terms of the tender.<\/p>\n
Environmental standards for regional governance should also
\naddress the maintenance of a certain level of forest cover. If a
\npercentage of central government funds to regional governments
\nwas tied to environmental performance, they would have an
\nincentive to perform, and to address the illegal logging problem
\namong other issues.<\/p>\n
Decentralization of forest management would allow the Ministry
\nof Forestry to redirect its efforts towards monitoring the
\nperformance of regional governments and providing them with
\nadvice and support.<\/p>\n
If designed and implemented well, decentralization could
\nprovide a more appropriate system of checks and balances. It
\nwould also be an important step towards halting the loss of some
\ntwo million hectares of forest and trillions of rupiah in revenue
\nevery year.<\/p>",
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