Rainforest protection - bringing activists and policymakers together?

In the past, the issue of rainforest protection may have been seen as a niche topic for those who have a special interest in green and eco issues - but in recent years, conserving the planet's most precious tropical forest areas has become intrinsically linked to government policy and schemes, as the world takes action to try and stop the rise of climate change.

Nations which are home to large areas of tropical forest, such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil, have already put in place a number of new laws and guidelines aimed at lowering devastating deforestation - and reversing the potentially catastrophic impact that continuing to clear huge forest areas with no regard for the fragile environment has.

However, in many cases it is still difficult to put such rainforest protection measures in place or to enforce them once sworn into law - the sad fact is that many rainforests are worth more cut down and on the back of logging lorries than standing. Therefore, half the conservation battle is attempting to change the long-held views and working practices of those who live and work in the planet's rainforests and rely on them for their own survival and income.

A country which has recently announced more rainforest protection measures and carbon emission cutting schemes is Indonesia. The nation aims to reduce its emissions by more than a quarter over the next ten years and also said it could boost this figure up to more than 40 per cent if it manages to secure enough support from the international community.

As part of its plan to cut emissions and protect areas of tropical rainforest, the country is to put in place a two-year moratorium on new forest permits for sectors such as palm oil production and coal mining. However, it is unclear whether such a ban will extend to those already plundering the country's rainforest for its oil and other resources, which has led to questions from a number of environmental groups.

Indonesia is to be supported in its rainforest protection aim by Norway, with the two nations recently signing an agreement which sees the Scandinavian country donate $1 billion (£672 million) to be used towards implementing sound eco practices in Indonesia.

This deal, though, has come under some fierce criticism - as a usual advocate for the rights of indigenous people, Norway was criticised for apparently not checking through the ins and outs of the deal with rainforest dwellers before putting pen to paper.

The apparent vagueness of the deal between the two countries has also been highlighted as a potential issue - and one which could leave the rainforest open to yet more destruction.

But it is not just these issues which have plagued the signing of the agreement. As well as the issue of how to tackle those who already have interests in the use of the rainforest for commercial gain, Monga Bay noted that there are some "daunting challenges" for Indonesia ahead.

While on the surface, the introduction of far-reaching measures to reduce the clearing and deforestation of the rainforest may be positive, the website noted that often, such rules are "inconsistently applied" and can therefore hold little weight against the biggest firms who do their business in the rainforest.

"Powerful interests - especially in the forestry sector - have little desire to alter the status quo by bringing transparency to the system that enriched them. While optimists say the influx of carbon finance could create political will to change the system, pessimists argue the money could end up being wasted, even being used to finance conversion of natural forests for industrial-scale oil palm and timber plantations," it warned.

Someone who has already spoken about the potential impact of the new environmental laws on the Indonesian economy is Bob Kamandanu, chairmain of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association.

He called the new laws "the biggest issue facing the industry" and said that those within the sector hope for some clarification on whether the new moratorium applies to firms with standing interests in the area.

"We hope the Indonesian government will not put the industry on hold," he said.

Indonesia as a nation is still heavily reliant on coal and its popularity seems to be growing ever stronger.

According to figures from director general of mineral resources Bambang Setiawan reported by Business Week, the consumption of coal in the country may rise to as much as 120 million tons over the next five years. This is a sharp increase from the 64 million tons set to be used during 2010.

© Copyright