Media release
02 March 2010
Indonesia and Australia announce $30 million
Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership
The Minister for Climate Change, Energy
Efficiency and Water of Australia, Senator
Penny Wong, and the Minister of Forestry
of Indonesia, HE Mr Zulkifli Hasan, today
announced the establishment of the A$30
million Indonesia-Australia Sumatra Forest
Carbon Partnership to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions from deforestation and forest
degradation.
The Sumatra Forest Carbon
Partnership is a significant expansion of
existing joint action by Australia and Indonesia
on reducing emissions from deforestation
and forest degradation in developing countries
(REDD), within the framework of the Indonesia-Australia
Forest Carbon Partnership agreed by Prime
Minister Rudd and President Yudhoyono in
June 2008.
This new joint practical
REDD activity in Sumatra will address immediate
threats to forest on mineral soils in the
Sumatran province of Jambi, complementing
our first large-scale joint activity in
the carbon-rich peat swamp forests of Central
Kalimantan.
The new activity will
also reflect recent developments in international
negotiations, building on the good progress
made on REDD in Copenhagen where there was
agreement by countries on the need to immediately
establish a mechanism for REDD-plus. REDD-plus
builds on the existing elements of REDD
and encompasses conservation, sustainable
management of forests and the enhancement
of forest carbon stocks. Australia and Indonesia
are committed to ensuring this progress
is translated into concrete and practical
action to advance the implementation of
REDD-plus.
The province of Jambi
covers an area of 5.3 million hectares on
the island of Sumatra, and is home to unique
forests and biodiversity. In 2005 it was
estimated that around one third (1.7 million
hectares) of Jambi province was forested,
but the landscape is continuing to transform
due to land use change, releasing greenhouse
gas emissions.
As a practical REDD-plus
activity, the Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership
will focus on addressing the main drivers
of deforestation and forest degradation.
Indonesia and Australia are currently working
closely together to determine a precise
location and design for the REDD-plus activity
within Jambi province. The activity will
be designed to fit with national and international
frameworks for REDD-plus as they continue
to develop.
The two Ministers emphasised
the importance of partnerships between developed
and developing countries, supported by appropriate
levels of international public financing
and national resources, in addressing the
immense challenge of climate change.
Minister Hasan warmly
welcomed the announcement at Copenhagen
by Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the
United Kingdom and the United States to
dedicate US$3.5 billion to “fast-start”
financing for REDD-plus, which includes
a contribution from Australia of US$120
million.
In addition to joint
work in Central Kalimantan and now Sumatra,
Indonesia and Australia are working closely
together on the development of policy frameworks
and measurements systems for REDD-plus,
including the development of Indonesia’s
national carbon accounting system. This
co-operation is helping to lay the groundwork
for the implementation of a global REDD
mechanism.
Australia’s funding
for the Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership
comes from the International Forest Carbon
Initiative. Total commitments announced
under the Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon
Partnership now stand at $70 million.
Practical bilateral
partnerships such as these provide the building
blocks for a workable and effective global
REDD-plus mechanism.
+ More
CSIRO South-West WA
Sustainable Yields Report: Significantly
less water by 2030
Media release
03 March 2010
A major CSIRO report has projected a marked
decrease in river flows and water yields
in south-west Western Australia by 2030
under the impacts of climate change and
increasing demand.
The CSIRO South-West
Western Australia Sustainable Yields Project,
undertaken in partnership with the WA Government,
estimates changes to future water yields
having regard to both climate change and
future development.
The Minister for Climate
Change, Energy Efficiency and Water, Senator
Penny Wong, today welcomed the release of
the report for which the Australian Government
provided $5.2 million under its Water for
the Future initiative.
“We know that the Perth
region has already experienced a reduction
in surface water runoff of around 50 per
cent since the mid 1970’s; a change that
shows trends and patterns that are consistent
with human-induced climate change,” Senator
Wong said.
“The report highlights
the likelihood of a further reduction in
Perth’s water supplies by 2030, which is
of considerable concern.”
The key findings from
the study, which covers almost 40,000 square
kilometres between Geraldton and Albany,
found that:
South-west WA will face
a one-quarter reduction in water availability
by 2030, relative to the last 30 years;
Under the best-case scenario, mean annual
surface water yields will decrease by 4
per cent by 2030; and
Under the worst-case scenario, that reduction
will be 49 per cent by 2030.
“Climate change demands that we plan for
a future with less water. This report is
crucial for WA, as it will inform key water
planning and management decisions for Perth
and the entire south-west of the state,”
Senator Wong said.
Other findings from
the study have found that ground water availability
is projected to decline. Under an extreme
dry future, water yields in three important
groundwater areas – including the Gnangara
aquifer which supplies tap water to Perth
– could decline by over one-third by 2030.
Groundwater-dependent
ecosystems, such as wetlands and vegetation
communities that depend on groundwater levels
that are close to the soil surface are also
expected to experience additional stress
by 2030.
The study is one of
three recently completed sustainable yields
projects that build on the successful Murray-Darling
Basin Sustainable Yields project.
“The Australian Government
is working with all states and territories
to prepare for the effects of climate change,
including reduced water availability,” Senator
Wong said.
“Based on the best available
scientific information, these sustainable
yield projects will help build a consistent
analytical framework for water policy decisions
across the nation.”
The CSIRO South-West
Western Australia Sustainable Yields Project
reports can be found at: www.csiro.au/partnerships/SWSY.html
Public briefings on
the impact of the findings on the south
west will be conducted in Bunbury on 4 March
and the impact on irrigation water supplies
in Perth on 5 March. For more information
about these briefings, contact Anne McKenzie
on 08 9333 6221 or 0447 848 568
