The Netherlands Embassy’s Environment Program focuses on issues related to climate change, biodiversity protection and poverty alleviation. More specifically, the embassy directs its support at enhancing environmental sustainability of economic development in Indonesia’s vast lowland areas.  This means developing sustainable agriculture and better management / protection and of peat lands and forests. Moreover, it aims to assist Indonesia in setting-up more sustainable production chains of biomass; in particular palm oil. The focus is not only peat land areas but also elsewhere. Key is to contribute to better land use and spatial planning with a view of maximizing synergies between sustainable economic, social and environmental development paths. The program is very much based on principles of good governance, and with a clear view of a gender differential local community empowerment.

At present, the environment as well as the embassy’s water management and economic portfolios, including a special program in Aceh Province, have several climate change, forestry and lowland development related activities. Added to this, a number of related Dutch funded activities are managed by the Environment & Water Department in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under various funding and implementation modalities.

The embassy’s environment portfolio currently holds four activities:

• The Central Kalimantan  Peat Project
• Master Plan Project for Rehabilitation of the  Ex-Mega Rice Project, Central Kalimantan 

Deforestation and drainage

 

These activities are nearing completion and will have follow-up activities, which are currently being developed.

• The community-based peat conservation project in Papua Province
• A long term study by Indonesia’s Palm Oil Committee on GHG emissions from palm oil production.

Dams are build to re-wet peatlands in Central Kalimantan

These are two more recent activities of the environment programme. Currently other lowland initiatives that the Embassy will support are under development.
 
Concerning the sustainability of biomass production, the Embassy takes guidance from a Letter of Intent on Sustainable Biomass as signed by the Indonesian and Dutch governments at the  UNFCCC CoP13 in Bali in 2007. Implementation of this framework agreement is done through bilateral funding from the Embassy but also, for instance, through grant mechanisms operated in The Netherlands ( www.senternovem.nl/sustainablebiomassworldwide).

Overall, the embassy seeks to the maximum extent possible to align with Indonesian policies, strategies and action plans, and to complement and harmonize with intervention efforts by both the Government of Indonesia and other donors. For implementation, the embassy stimulates active participation and collaboration of government and civic society alike. The embassy also seeks to contribute to strengthening, respectively broadening of the bilateral relations between Indonesia and The Netherlands. This aims at enhancing the equality of the bilateral relation and would, among others and where possible, entail bringing in Dutch expertise into ODA (Oversees Development Assistance) funded programs and the stimulation of cooperative frameworks that do not rely on ODA alone.

From a view of policy dialogue, the embassy’s environment activities are also directed at facilitating meaningful discussion platforms and informing participative dialogues. This is also to inform and enhance the Netherlands’ environmental diplomacy; not only in Indonesia but also at the relevant international forums.