PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – Deforestation poses a significant challenge in the palm oil sector, impacting both direct and indirect aspects. The ongoing initiative to reduce carbon emissions by up to 200 million tons on a national scale, with a targeted reduction of 4 million tons from each region, remains in progress.
According to Prof. Herry Purnomo, the Country Director of CIFOR-ICRAF Indonesia, addressing deforestation in the palm oil sector requires leveraging internet technology. For example, implementing satellite monitoring systems can help identify areas where deforestation is occurring, ultimately leading to increased emissions. Utilizing technology can play a crucial role in minimizing emissions on a national scale.
“By taking advantages on technology and right calculation, we would understand the emission numbers derived from each region. For instance, District of Pelalawan Riau Province; District of Sintang, West Kalimantan Province; Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan; and Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan Province – have emission 4 million tons in average. This would be the basic to design emission reduction strategy in local level,” he said in the third national workshop of sustainable palm oil that Palmoilmagazine.com joined, Thursday (11/1/2024).
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Prof. Herry Purnomo continued, by deeper audit about plantation canopy dynamic, area that got impact from deforestation could be done. This would cover the analysis to every area that connect to palm oil plantations both that have been planted and could be avoided still.
That is why it needs integration to minimize deforestation in regional action plan -sustainable palm oil. “We could significantly create contribution in the plan. Escalating plantation productivity and getting legal certificate would be part of the strategies by having economic and legal approaches,” he said.
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It also needs political and legal approaches to deliver guarantee sustainably to minimize deforestation. The good connection with regional governments and the local would confirm the success in implementing the strategies.
“Agro-forestry would be the effective solution by escalating smallholders’ income while reducing deforestation,” Prof. Herry Purnomo said. (T2)
