Action under the International Forest Carbon Initiative

Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership

The Prime Minister of Australia and the President of Indonesia announced the Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership on 13 June 2008. The $100 million Partnership builds on long-term practical cooperation between Indonesia and Australia on REDD+. The Partnership is operating in three key areas, as follows:

  • strategic policy dialogue on climate change
  • supporting the development of Indonesia's National Carbon Accounting System, and
  • implementing incentive-based REDD+ demonstration activities in in Central Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership

The Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership is the first, large-scale REDD+ demonstration activity of its kind in Indonesia. It aims to demonstrate a credible, equitable and effective approach to REDD+, including from the degradation of peatlands, that can inform a future climate change agreement. The Partnership is trialing an innovative, market-oriented approach to financing and implementing measures for REDD+. Key activities focus on 120,000 hectares of degraded and forested peatland in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Early lessons learned from the KFCP are included in the Joint Indonesia-Australia submission on REDD+ (PDF 116 kB) to the UNFCCC negotiations in Poznan in December 2008 (PDF 43 kB) and in Durban in December 2011.

Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership

The Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership was jointly announced by Indonesia and Australia in March 2010 and is the second practical REDD+ Activity under the Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership. The activity will be located in Jambi Province on the island of Sumatra. It will differ from the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership in its location and forest type (on mineral soils rather than peatland) to test application of REDD+ in different contexts. The precise nature of the SFCP will be determined by the Indonesian government with the support of Australia and relevant sub-national government agencies in Indonesia, working in consultation with relevant stakeholders including local communities in the area.

Bilateral package of support to Indonesia on forests and climate

Australia is providing support for Indonesia's forest and climate policy development. This support also assists Indonesia on measurement, reporting and verification for REDD+ including development of Indonesia's National Carbon Accounting System and its related Forest Resource Information System. Support also includes development of a national policy framework and strategies for REDD+, and to better monitor, manage and prevent large scale forest fires in Indonesia. Indonesia and Australia submitted a joint submission to the UNFCCC on MRV for REDD+ (PDF 166 kB) in August 2009 and again in Durban in December 2011.

Papua New Guinea-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership

The Prime Ministers of Australia and Papua New Guinea established the Papua New Guinea-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership on 6 March 2008, formalising our cooperation on REDD+. Australia has committed up to $3 million in initial funding which includes technical, scientific and analytical support for whole of government policy development on REDD+.

Roadmap for Access to International Carbon Markets

In June 2008, the Prime Minister of Australia and the President of Indonesia agreed to develop the Roadmap for Access to International Carbon Markets (the Roadmap). Indonesia and Australia agreed the Roadmap at the Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum in November 2008. The Roadmap is a multi-phased strategy that is assisting Indonesia to develop the necessary technical, system and financial pre-requisites for participation in future international carbon markets for REDD+.

Partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative on carbon monitoring

Australia's strategic partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative is providing targeted support to countries including Guyana, Tanzania, Kenya and Cambodia in developing their national systems. This provides high-quality, low-cost forest carbon data to developing countries for incorporation into their national forest monitoring systems, providing a sound basis for verification of reductions in deforestation and forest degradation.

World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility

Australia has contributed over $30 million to the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. The Facility manages two funds. The Readiness Fund provides support for the development of national REDD+ strategies, stakeholder consultation and the design of forest measurement, reporting and verification systems in 37 developing countries. This includes support for countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America.

The Carbon Fund will trial market-based approaches for measurable and verifiable emissions reductions.

World Bank's Forest Investment Program

Australia has also contributed over $30 million to the World Bank's Forest Investment Program. The Program aims to trial approaches to REDD+ implementation on a large-scale in eight pilot countries (Brazil, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Indonesia, Laos, Mexico, Peru). This includes supporting investment in institutional and forest governance capacity, as well as trialing approaches to address drivers of deforestation and reduce pressures on forests from outside the forest sector (for example, agriculture).

REDD+ Partnership

In May 2010, countries, including Australia, endorsed the Interim REDD+ Partnership (the REDD+ Partnership), which provides a platform to scale up REDD+ actions and finance and to improve their effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and coordination. Partnership countries have approved a program of work for 2011 and 2012.

As the first practical step of the Partnership, Australia, together with France and PNG, presented the REDD+ financing and activities survey synthesis report in May 2010. The report was based on 33 survey responses from countries and organisations, including responses from all key donor countries and developing countries. Building on this survey process, countries agreed to establish a publically available, voluntary database of REDD+ finance, actions and results under the Partnership.

Australia, along with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the co-chair of the REDD+ Partnership until July 2012. During our term as co-chair we will work with other countries in the Partnership to advance global awareness of REDD+, improve countries' ability to overcome barriers to the advancement of REDD+, and accelerate the roll-out of REDD+ action around the world.

Asia Pacific Forestry Skills and Capacity Building Program

The Asia Pacific Forestry Skills and Capacity Building Program assists countries in the Asia-Pacific region to increase their capacity to manage forests sustainably in support of efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. The Program aims to:

  • support improvements in forest management;
  • support improvements in governance; and
  • identify new income-generation opportunities for forest owners and managers.

Research partnership on REDD

A research partnership of up to $3 million with the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) based in Indonesia will help meet the need for further global research on policy and technical issues associated with REDD+, and will collect and disseminate lessons learned to inform the design and implementation of REDD+ activities.

Development of concept models for demonstration activities

Up to $1.5 million is being contributed to support international non-government organisations to develop concept models for REDD+ demonstration activities. International non-government organisations have practical on the ground experience, particularly in providing alternative livelihoods to local communities, which can help build global expertise in implementing demonstration activities.