410 hectares of land in E Java to get carbon reduction certificate

Jakarta, March 12 (Antara) - Some 410 hectares of a rehabilitation zone at Meru Betiri National Park in Jember district, East Java, has been proposed to receive a Carbon Emission Reduction Certificate from Plan Vivo. "The proposal has been put forth by the Indonesian Community Payment for Environmental Services Consortium," the chairperson of the consortium, Arif Aliadi, said here Thursday. He added that if the national park receives the certification, then people managing the area will be able to sell carbon. "The money earned can be used to protect the forest," Arif noted. Plan Vivo is a framework for supporting communities to manage their natural resources more sustainably in order to gain climate, livelihood, and ecosystem benefits. Plan Vivo already has its presence in South America, Africa, and South Asia. The consortium is currently preparing a Project Idea Note (PIN) as an initial step to obtain the certificate. "It will also have to compose a Project Design Document, to validate the PDD and an annual report focusing on program planning scheme and project approvals. Lastly, it will need to write a project development report," Arif explained. According to him, an environmental organization in Belgium, We Forest, will help sell the Plan Vivo certificates for national parks, especially to Belgium and the Netherlands. "Indonesia has not had a carbon market so far. We hope this program will highlight its benefits. We are now exploring the possibilities of cooperation with other forest managements," Hasan stated.(*)