May 2010: The World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) has released a working paper looking at land tenure issues and reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) in the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership initiative in Indonesia.
The study, titled “Hot Spot of Emission and Confusion: Land Tenure Insecurity, Contested Policies and Competing Claims in the Central Kalimantan Ex-Mega Rice Project Area,” uses a rapid appraisal of tenure issues by examining the local history of land rights and land conflicts. It notes the lack of government institutions to manage the area, as well as past incentives for logging and oil palm plantations.
The paper highlights that a top-down approach to REDD that does not take into account existing institutions and practices cannot be successful in the Kalimantan landscape. It underscores the need for tools to monitor the implementation of governance reforms to ensure that a REDD mechanism is successful. ICRAF is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [The Paper]