For the third time, Indonesia has extended its moratorium on issuing licenses to clear forests and peat land, says Reuters. The nation’s environment and forestry minister told the news agency the extension will run for two years and allow officials time to develop regulations on forest use.
More than 66 million hectares, or 25 million square miles, are covered by the moratorium. “Indonesia is prone to outbreaks of forest fires during dry seasons, often blamed on the draining of peat land forests and land clearance for agriculture,” said Reuters. Indonesia is the No. 1 palm oil producer in the world. Deforestation is often linked to larger plantings of oil palms.
Green group World Resources Institute says that satellite data show “tree cover loss remains high” despite the moratorium on agricultural expansion into forest and peat land. “Forest loss within moratorium areas continued to increase in 2015 in all areas except Sumatra, suggesting that the moratorium had scant effect on forest protection.” The moratorium does not carry penalties for violations, said WRI. “Deforestation and land use change account for 47.7 percent of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Tackling climate change in Indonesia — the world’s six-largest greenhouse gas emitter — will require a systematic and structural effort to transform land management.”