Facts about RiauRiau
Both industries are expanding to feed the world’s growing demand for paper products and everyday goods such as cosmetics, detergents, chocolate and convenience foods for which palm oil is a key ingredient. Expectations for a rapidly expanding global biofuel market are accelerating the already-rapid speed of expansion of that industry. Together, APP and APRIL produce more than two-thirds of Indonesia’s pulp and today may “own” the concession rights to about 25 percent of the 8.3 million-hectare Riau mainland. Riau’s two pulp mills and a second APP mill in Jambi have a combined annual production capacity of about 5 million tons of pulp. Both companies since their inception have relied on natural wood to feed these mills, some from destructive clearance of natural forest and from legally questionable operations as the massive police crack-down from February 2007 to December 2008 clearly shows. The deforestation caused by forest conversion has led to extensive flooding in Riau Province. Deforestation of the water catchment areas of Riau’s hydro-electricity project has led to siltation and frequent blackouts even in the capital. Riau’s Role in Protecting Global Climate
Riau leads Southeast Asia in terms of total peat soil volume and the carbon it harbors. Riau’s peat soils are estimated to store the largest amount of carbon in Indonesia: 14.6 gigatons. Of the 4 million hectares of peatland in Riau Province, about half is already deforested, drained, decomposing or burning – and thus constantly emitting the greenhouse gases it has stored for thousands of years. A study by WWF in 2008 documented the massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions generated by forest conversion of Riau’s peatlands. Riau’s average deforestation-related emissions over the past 17 years were one quarter of what all countries who have signed up to Kyoto Protocol want to save annually up to 2012. Peatlands – rich, densely packed soils made up of dead organic matter, mainly plants – are known as “carbon sinks” for their ability to store more carbon per unit area than any other ecosystem. Although they occupy only 3-5 percent of the Earth's land and fresh water surface, they absorb 25-30 percent of the world's carbon dioxide, helping to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Forest Fires in Riau WWF has cited data that shows forest conversion is the major factor responsible for forest fires in Indonesia, mainly on peat areas. Over the last five years, an average of 14 percent of all Riau’s forest and land fires occurred in timber concessions associated with APP. The fires and their direct correlation with clearing of natural forests for plantations prompted several local and international conservation organizations to jointly call on the Indonesian Government to stop granting concessions for conversion and land clearing on peat swamp forests – the best way to prevent forest and land fires is to protect peatland forests and maintain healthy peat soil beneath. The Minister of Agriculture in January 2008 called for a complete moratorium on the development of palm oil plantations on peat soil. Pulp plantations are not covered by the moratorium. |
