From COP22 to Davos, the past few months have drawn global attention to the role of forests in achieving carbon mitigation targets. Yet beyond emissions, forests and the natural capital within them — water, air and biodiversity, provide environmental services that support the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat — making investment in the landscape so important. For too long this value has been disregarded. According to the WRI, between 2000 and 2012 Indonesia lost more than 6 million hectares of primary forest — an area almost half the size of the state of New York.
Before moving forward, we need to look back. Forest loss is the result of a complex mixture of socio-economic reasons including deforestation, land degradation and low living standards. Poor practices have lead the assumption that economic gains by people come at the expense of the forests — this is a combination that can’t continue.
Tying these issues together in an environment that provides triple returns for people, the landscape and businesses is the only way forward. The foundation of this lies in business and investment models that are based on valuing natural capital. This approach offers a way to comprehend the value of a whole ecosystem across a given landscape, putting a price on areas of High Conservation Value and the wealth of services people can derive from them. Though many scoff at the concept of monetizing nature,” for better or for worse, it is the language of business, of livelihoods and of food security. Only in understanding what the landscape means to each and every actor operating within it, can solutions to negate deforestation, conflict and risks of fire whilst improving livelihoods, nutrition and food security be implemented.
These concepts have been put into action on the ground by APP in an agroecology program that aims to provide food security for local communities while protecting the value of the natural environment. This is based on the recognition that while healthy forest ecosystems are essential to protecting biodiversity, promoting soil fertility, ensuring adequate water resources and realising low carbon futures, they also have an integral role to play in supporting successful, resilient businesses and enterprise development.
Collaboration is central to any success story in conservation and we are proud to support the work being carried out by the Belantara foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit organization formed to promote and encourage the efforts of all stakeholders in the landscape in forest protection particularly through working with the community, and to effectively channel public and private funding.
Acting as a common platform, the foundation takes a multi-sector, multi-interest approach working together in various efforts to support forest protection across 10 landscapes in Indonesia — encompassing 1,690 villages and over 10 million hectares. In developing a master plan through data collection and stakeholder consultation on a local, national and international level, the foundation is uniquely placed to understand the diverse roles that the forest plays in people’s lives — and most importantly, how restoration efforts can be best aligned to support an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable landscape.
more at: https://www.greenbiz.com/article/seeing-forest-trees-widening-lens-real-returns-sponsored