Southwest Papua prepares jurisdiction-based carbon scheme
Sarteis Yulian Sagrim, an official of the Southwest Papua Environment, Forestry, and Land Office, stated in Sorong on Friday that the regional government is currently compiling video documents and technical requirements needed to apply for the carbon scheme.
“The region only prepares the required documents and stages. The application will then be submitted through the Forestry Ministry, which will then forward it according to applicable national and international mechanisms,” he said.
According to Sagrim, developing carbon trading requires a lengthy process, as it must go through several stages, starting with inventorying and calculating carbon stocks, preparing technical documents, and verifying them by the central government.
He explained that the data prepared by the regional government will serve as the basis for determining the extent of Southwest Papua’s carbon potential.
“After the field data is compiled, a team will be deployed to verify all reported stock data to ensure that all reported carbon stock data is accurate and reflects conditions on the ground,” he said.
Sagrim stated that the central government is currently developing a national carbon trading roadmap, which will serve as a guideline for regions in developing jurisdiction-based carbon schemes.
While awaiting the completion of the roadmap, the Southwest Papua Provincial Government continues to strengthen various preparations, including institutional strengthening, drafting technical documents, and building coordination with district and city governments.
In addition, the regional government is engaging various stakeholders such as indigenous communities, academics, the media, non-governmental organizations, and development partners to support the development of regional carbon policies.
“We need the support of various partners to ensure all stages run smoothly, as the process is quite lengthy and requires the cooperation of many parties,” he said.
He explained that the entire region of Southwest Papua has carbon potential due to its relatively extensive forest and land cover.
However, the extent of this potential still needs to be confirmed through an inventory and measurement process currently being prepared by the regional government.
“We are preparing the necessary budget and documents so that the carbon potential calculation process can be carried out immediately as a basis for submitting a jurisdiction-based carbon scheme,” he said.
The Southwest Papua Provincial Government hopes that the development of a carbon scheme will support environmental conservation while providing economic value to the region through a government-regulated carbon trading mechanism.
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Translator: Yuvensius Lasa Banafanu, Cindy Frishanti Octavia