T H E S USTAI NAB L E L ANDSC AP ES PA RT NE RSH I P
A n i n t e g r a t e d m o d e l f o r s u s t a i n a b l e d e v e l o p m e n t i n I n d o n e s i a
W e e n v i s i o n
I n d o n e s i a a s a s e r i e s
o f s u s t a i n a b l e
l a n d s c a p e s w h e r e
n a t u r a l c a p i t a l i s
p r o t e c t e d a n d
e n h a n c e d t h r o u g h
a p p r o p r i a t e l a n d -
u s e ,
s u s t a i n a b l e
p r o d u c t i o n p r a c t i c e s ,
a n d i n c l u s i v e
d e c i s i o n - m a k i n g f o r
t h e i m p r o v e m e n t o f
h u m a n w e l l - b e i n g .
2
The Sustainable Landscapes Partnership
(SLP) is an integrated landscape initiative
that works with local governments,
communities, businesses and NGOs to
design and develop innovative, landscape-
scale solutions to challenges caused by
human pressures on natural resources.
Conservation International established
SLP in Indonesia, to promote and support
this model through four primary areas of
intervention: conservation of natural
capital; developing sustainable
production; improving governance and
participation; and sustainable financing
that aim to provide a range of benefits to
people.
Achieving sustainable development and
economic growth for Indonesia will
require finding the right balance between
conservation and production.
In the long run, success for SLP can be
characterized by:
• Zero net deforestation, with
• All land under appropriate
management including the protection
of biodiversity, leading to
• Quantifiable improvements in human-
well being, supported by
• Sustainable financing.
S u s t a i n a b l e L a n d s c a p e s F r a m e w o r k
SLP in Indonesia is implemented by
Conservation International (CI) with funding
from USAID and the Walton Family Foundation.
NATURAL CAPITAL
GOOD GOVERNANCE
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
SUSTAINABLE FINANCE
BENEFITS TO PEOPLE
POLICIES& PROGRAMS
SPATIAL PLANS
DECISION SUPPORT
TOOLS
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER
FORUMS
CLIMATE STABILITY WATER LIVELIHOODS FOOD
A T A G L A N C E
T h e S u s t a i n a b l e L a n d s c a p e s P a r t n e r s h i p i s f o c u s e d
o n a r u r a l e c o n o m i c d e v e l o p m e n t p a t h t h a t d e p e n d s
o n , a n d v a l u e s , n a t u r a l c a p i t a l a s t h e c o r e
p r i n c i p l e
SLP is implementing this landscape model in Indonesia in two
provinces: North Sumatra and West Papua
Like all countries, Indonesia faces a particular set of challenges in
developing sustainable landscapes. Key challenges include the
growing population pressure across the archipelago – currently
around 250 million; with the fourth largest population in the
world and that is growing by more than 3 million people per
year1. To meet the needs of this growing population, Indonesia is
looking to increase domestic production, maintain economic
development and provide a broad base of infrastructure and
essential services.
Reflecting these pressures on land use, rates of deforestation
have been high over the past 15 years. Between 2000 and 2012,
It has been estimated Indonesia lost 6 million hectares of
primary forest cover, at rate of around 0.5 million hectares per
year2. The conversion of forests for agricultural purposes and
socio-economic development have been key drivers.
Deforestation has consequences of course. It generates
greenhouse gas emissions and can lead to a loss of wildlife and
biodiversity. Tropical forests are home to a vast array of species
that are threatened by widespread land conversion and forest
fragmentation. North Sumatra and West Papua – the Provinces
in which SLP has focused its work to date – are two of the
world’s most unique and biodiverse areas; therefore it is critical
that they are managed sustainably.
To strengthen forest management across the country, the
Ministry of Environment and Forestry is in the process of
establishing a new model of forest management based on
designated Forest Management Units (FMUs). This new model is
intended to provide more active professional management at
the local level. Indonesia is looking to establish over 600 new
FMUs across the country – in itself a significant challenge.
Meanwhile, the private sector plays a key role in shaping
Indonesia’s agricultural landscapes. For example, Indonesia now
produces over 50% of the palm oil produced globally, to meet
demand of international consumers3. Indonesia is looking to
work with multi-national interests and the private sector to
improve land management practices and encourage responsible
sourcing along global supply chains.
A holistic integrated approach is required to consider and
balance the production and conservation in each landscape.
A widely accepted definition of the sustainable landscape is ‘a
landscape that can maintain its basic structure and provide
ecosystem services in a changing world of environmental,
economic and social conditions’. 4
Within this context, SLP in Indonesia is establishing new
partnerships and collaboration with local partners to protect
natural capital by promoting good governance and sustainable
production practices, and facilitating sustainable finance models
that provide long-term benefits for the Indonesian society.
3
T H E B I G P I C T U R E
1 World Bank Data: Indonesia’s population in 2014 was 254.5 million. Annual population growth rate 2011-2015 was 1.3%.2 Margono, B.A., Potapov , P.V., Turubanova , S; Stolle, F; and Hansen, M. (2014) Primary forest cover loss in Indonesia over 2000–2012. Nature Climate Change, DOI:10.1038/NCLIMATE2277.3 European Palm Oil Alliance (2016) Online resource: Palm oil production http://www.palmoilandfood.eu/en/palm-oil-production andhttp://www.sawitindonesia.com/kinerja/2020-kebutuhan-minyak-nabati-dunia-bergantung-kepada-cpo-indonesia4 Wu, Jianguo. (2013) Landscape Sustainability Science: Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being in Changing Landscapes. Landscape Ecology, 28 (6): 999-1023.
G O V E R N A N C E
G o o d g o v e r n a n c e i n a l a n d s c a p e s e t t i n g i n c l u d e s
a l i g n i n g p o l i c i e s a n d r e g u l a t i o n s a c r o s s a l l l e v e l s o f g o v e r n m e n t ,
e n g a g i n g s t a k e h o l d e r s , e n s u r i n g s o c i a l s a f e g u a r d s a r e i n p l a c e
a n d f a c i l i t a t i n g s u s t a i n a b l e i n v e s t m e n t s
4
SLP is working to support good governance, as it relates to land
use planning decisions and forest conservation.
Key governance challenges in Indonesia include the limited
capacity within provincial and district governments to develop
and implement strategic plans relating to land use planning at
the landscape level. This has led to spatial planning conflicts
between government levels, and a lack of landscape level
performance monitoring tools. Another key governance
challenge is addressing the biophysical and ecological aspects of
landscapes that can extend beyond administrative units and
jurisdictional boundaries; which further highlight the need for
an integrated approach that incorporates activities that align
policies and regulations across all levels of government.
To address these challenges, SLP is working with governments
to ensure there is the scientific evidence and the decision-
making support tools needed to enact policies that are
environmentally sustainable and good for communities. SLP has
supported the design of policies focused on sustainable
development and worked with local agencies to identify the
capacity and resources required.
SLP has developed Sustainable Investment Action Plans (SIAP)
for the three districts and the province of North Sumatra. SIAPs
are landscape-level plans designed to support and guide
conservation while supporting sustainable production. SIAPs
provide information and recommendations about the
landscape. This analysis includes assessing areas of high
conservation value, land use suitability for crops, value chains
analysis, identifying risk due disasters and climate change,
understanding watershed and hydrological dynamics.
.
P o l i c i e s a n d p l a n s
SLP has also facilitated the development of Strategic
Environmental Assessments (SEA) for three districts in North
Sumatra, and most recently, for the province of North Sumatra.
These SEAs have provided the science and technical evidence to
support spatial planning with capacity building and inclusive
multi-stakeholder engagement also underpinning the process.
Building on the SEAs, SLP has continued to support the districts
to incorporate the recommendations in spatial plans for the
districts of South Tapanuli and Mandailing Natal.
Concurrently, SLP is engaging with the West Papua Province to
help support the vision of developing its Conservation Province
policy initiative as an opportunity to define a sustainable
development pathway. SLP, together with the Bird’s Head
Secretariat, has helped bring together government, non-
government, community and academic partners to establish a
provincial policy framework and targets that link 'green’
government planning, budget cycles and relevant agencies.
Multi-stakeholder forums (MSF) have an important role in
improving the understanding, participation and collaboration
by stakeholders. MSFs ensure cross-sectoral alignment of
policy, regulations and practices with public and private
interests.
SLP has established and facilitated a range of MSFs, to support
the program objectives across a range of sectors and
geographies. These include forums set up to support the SEA
process in multiple districts in North Sumatra; the facilitation of
two regional watershed management forums; and support for
the Joint Secretariat for Sustainable Palm Oil in North Sumatra
headed by the Environmental Protection Agency comprised of
private sector partners who meet frequently to discuss a range
of environmental and best management practices.
M u l t i - S t a k e h o l d e r F o r u m s
5
In related work, SLP has created a new decision support tool for
landscape accounting, with considerable scope for application
across Indonesia. SLP’s Landscape Accounting Framework (LAF)
comprises a stakeholder engagement process for establishing
goals and key indicators, and a system that features an online
dashboard for stakeholders to monitor the status of the
landscape – either at the provincial level or the district level.
SLP has established an online dashboard for
landscape accounting in North Sumatra, to monitor
trends and changes across key indicators that are
aligned with objectives of the landscape model
V i s u a l i z i n g i m p a c t
This framework brings together data from a range of credible
public data-sets, to report on dimensions of natural capital,
sustainable production and also human well-being. SLP has
brought this data together for North Sumatra in an online
dashboard that government policy makers, the private sector
and civil society can refer too as the basis for multi-stakeholder
engagement on landscape trends and priorities.
6
S L P s u c c e s s s t o r y : P r o t e c t e d A r e a s a n c h o r n a t u r a l c a p i t a l i n a l a n d s c a p e
SLP’s approach to Protected Areas aims to
improve the management and protection
practices of high conservation value areas.
Work to date has included strategic reviews
of Protected Area plans, reviewing status
and identifying risks; supporting the use of
Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tools (like
SMART and METT/PAME) to measure and
evaluate management effectiveness; as well
as the introduction of management support
systems and tools that are implemented by
local staff. In some cases, SLP has provided
field equipment including GPS units and
camera traps, to better equip local staff for
monitoring and reporting functions.
For example, Batang Gadis National Park
has already conducted systematic camera
trapping surveys; meanwhile intensive
training and capacity building for spatial
monitoring and reporting has been
extended to 12 other Protected Areas in
North Sumatra.
SLP will continue to develop the capacity of
staff in selected Protected Areas with
further training. The next challenge is to
explore ways of deepening and expanding
the sphere of influence of Protected Areas
within the broader landscape.
The integrated landscape model recognizes that Protected Areas and
sustainable production can and should co-exist to enhance human
well-being. This highlights the importance of finding effective ways of
linking and managing landscapes that comprise both.
Large areas of tropical forests in Indonesia are considered biodiversity
hotspots with high conservation value. They shelter rare and
endangered species – such as the Sumatran tiger, orang-utans and the
Birds of Paradise in West Papua – and they constitute a rich array of
ecosystems and peatlands that can store large amounts of
sequestered carbon from the atmosphere.
7
N A T U R A L C A P I T A L
Sustainable production and human well-being are both derived
from, and dependent upon, the ecosystem services that natural
capital provides. In order to protect critical ecosystems and the
services they provide, it is necessary to identify critical natural
capital within the landscape and ensure there is appropriate
management of these areas. Biodiversity is critical natural
capital.
Key challenges for managing natural capital in Indonesia include
the ability to effectively address the inter-related drivers of
deforestation that include: growing population pressure,
contested land and property rights, poor governance, increasing
market demand for fast-growing agricultural crops, and the
limited resources and capacity for enforcement of regulations
around Protected Areas and the broader National forest estate.
Relatedly, there is limited recognition at present of the
economic value of ecosystem services. As a result, there tends to
be minimal incentives to protect natural capital particularly
where there are other business-as-usual economic activities.
This may include the clearing of natural forests to establish
agriculture crops and plantations or extractive industries.
SLP has been working to address these challenges in a number of
ways. In addition to its work in strengthening protection for high
conservation value areas (see ‘Protected Areas’), SLP has
supported the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in
promoting and developing FMUs for active forest management
in the national estate, and also worked with local communities
to facilitate Conservation Agreements in North Sumatra.
The promotion and development of FMUs within SLP landscapes
has involved extensive engagement with all levels of
government. SLP has worked closely with the Ministry of
Environment and Forestry to identify high priority FMUs and
confirm the model of management required for both production
and protection based forests. SLP has also provided the technical
support and facilitation capacity to support district government
units to set up these FMUs with sound management plans.
SLP has conducted extensive work on supporting community
stewardship. A significant achievement in this regard has been
establishment of over 30 Community Conservation Agreements
(CCAs), which typically represents agreements that are made by
the community to observe particular conservation goals – for
example, no clearing of adjacent forest areas to plant new crops
– while SLP and our partners have provided support including
training for village farmers in better crop management that will
increase yields, or establishing linkages to responsible supply
chains that will pay a premium for higher grade products.
SLP views the CCAs as a pre-condition that establishes a
conducive context in which to engage in longer term support for
communities, to conserve the broader environment while
providing for benefits from sustainable and improved
production.
SLP has also provided support for six new village forestry areas in
South Tapanuli District. Where a clearly defined area is
established that a community can access and use. SLP expects
this to lead to improved management of the forest over the
longer term.
H u m a n w e l l - b e i n g i s d e r i v e d f r o m ,
a n d d e p e n d e n t u p o n , e c o s y s t e m
s e r v i c e s t h a t n a t u r a l c a p i t a l p r o v i d e s
T h e c h a l l e n g e s
F o r e s t m a n a g e m e n t m o d e l s
C o m m u n i t y c o n s e r v a t i o n
S U S T A I N A B L E P R O D U C T I O N
8
SLP in Indonesia promotes the use of best practices in managing
key commodity value chains that underpin production systems.
Best practices include zero deforestation, minimizing the
‘footprint’ and waste, through the intensification of or
restoration of degraded lands. Commodity chains include not
only large scale industrial production, but also small-holder and
community production that underpins local economies.
Key challenges for sustainable production include limited access
to information on improved production practices and improved
technologies; limited understanding of quality and how it is
defined; and limited knowledge of market needs and trends –
these issues leads to low production, poor quality and limit
bargaining power and missed opportunities to access markets
that will support sustainable farming.
SLP has conducted studies on crop suitability across the province
of North Sumatra, and also assessed how crop suitability will
potentially be impacted by future climate change.5 This work
identified areas of the province that are likely to become
progressively unsuitable for palm oil, coffee, cocoa and rubber
production. SLP will continue to engage with the government,
private sector, and smallholder farmers so that they recognize
the need to consider what strategies might be most appropriate
to mitigate these potential risks.
This and other science has been used as the foundation for a
smallholder farmer training series called ‘Where the Farms meet
the Forests’, which SLP is embedding within conventional
smallholder farmer agribusiness training. SLP has also
incorporated these crop suitability studies and maps in both the
SIAP and LAF for North Sumatra, for the use by stakeholders.
SLP has actively promoted the concept and development of
green supply chains, for the purpose of improving access to
markets for sustainably produced products.
SLP has engaged with private sector partners who provide
farmers with market access and who help to explain what quality
the market needs. To compliment this, SLP is developing a
jurisdictional sourcing approach – the aim is to provide
companies with an understanding of where they can source
commodities from selected landscapes that meet certain quality
and sustainability criteria. SLP advocates the use of the
Landscape Accounting Framework to inform this approach.
SLP currently has memoranda of understanding with three
partner companies that are supporting green supply chains for
coffee, rubber and also palm oil crops.
As part of this direct engagement with producers, SLP is working
with communities and farmers to improve production and
incomes. This includes evaluating new purchasing models, such
as more direct supply arrangements between farmers and
processing facilities. Increasing efficiency will further strengthen
the platform for supporting sustainable farming practices.
SLP has also supported the convening of a Joint Secretariat for
Sustainable Palm Oil that meets on a regular basis to discuss
market issues and best practices in sustainable production. This
MSF brings together some of the largest industry producers as
well as smallholder and community producers in North Sumatra,
to engage with leading practitioners and researchers on policy
directions and technical aspects of sustainable production in
Indonesia.
G r e e n s u p p l y c h a i n s
S L P p r o m o t e s t h e d i v e r s i f i c a t i o n a n d
i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n o f p r o d u c t i o n t o i n c r e a s e
l a n d s c a p e r e s i l i e n c e a n d s t r e n g t h e n r u r a l
e c o n o m i e s
C r o p s u i t a b i l i t y s t u d i e s
5 Smit, H., Tias, P. Hadiprakarsa, Y. (2014) Exploring Trade-Offs Between Conservation and Development in North Sumatra, Sustainable development strategies forrubber, cocoa, coffee and oil palm agriculture in North Sumatra. Commissioned to support the Sustainable Landscapes Partnership, Conservation International, Jakarta,Indonesia.
9
S L P c a s e s t u d y : N o r t h S u m a t r a o n a p a t h t o s u s t a i n a b l e p r o d u c t i o n
Major cash crop products grown in North
Sumatra include palm oil, coffee, cocoa and
rubber. SLP has conducted supply chain
assessments for each of these constraints
to competitiveness as well as identifying
practices that can be improved.
The Landscape Accounting Framework
(LAF) dashboard provides a sound basis for
prioritizing opportunities to increase
production across the landscape.
An example where improvements have
been made is the tapping of rubber trees.
SLP identified many farmers who were
tapping trees with sub-optimal techniques,
inferior equipment and poor post-harvest
handling – this resulted in both low
productivity and poor quality. Added to this
farmers were also cutting down rubber
trees and replacing these with new
plantings or different crops.
SLP has trained thousands of farmers in
optimal tapping and post harvesting
handling techniques with many seeing a
significant increase in productivity and
income from the existing trees – this has
also reduced clearing of the rubber-forest
gardens and reduced emissions.
C r o p y i e l d s p e r h e c t a r e
10
Establishing and maintaining sustainable
landscapes will require ongoing sources of
sustainable finance in the long term.
SLP is reviewing and developing new
financing models – for reasons that
include the fact that to-date, ecosystem
services have been undervalued, and
taken for granted. If natural capital is to
be maintained there is a need to attribute
an appropriate value to these resources,
and to manage them accordingly.
There is scope to establish fiscal
incentives for provinces and districts that
take steps towards forest conservation.
These incentives may leverage existing
government budgets or use trust fund
mechanisms to support forest
conservation.
Sustainable finance models also include
mechanisms based on payment for
ecosystem services (PES), and the
development of low emission enterprises
that can generate revenue and social
benefits on a sustainable basis. SLP is
working to test these models across
landscapes and explore the scope for
amplification.
T h e c h a l l e n g e
11
SLP through a grant provided funding
and technical guidance for communities
in North Sumatra that are introducing
more efficient stoves to replace the
smoky, fuel-hungry three-stone fires.
The benefits are several: reducing
harvesting of fuelwood; helping families
save money on cooking fuel; creating
employment in marketing and selling
the stoves; and improving the health of
women and children by reducing
exposure to air pollution.
SLP is either actively exploring or
supporting the development of new
business cases for potential low-
emission enterprises, such as village
forestry, agribusiness products,
ecotourism and non-timber forest
products, which may be linked to
finance (e.g. microfinance, Landscape
Bonds, etc.) at favorable rates.
S U S T A I N A B L E F I N A N C E
L a n d s c a p e s r e q u i r e s u s t a i n a b l e f i n a n c e t o
e n s u r e l o n g - t e r m v i a b i l i t y o f i n v e s t m e n t s
a n d t h e i r b e n e f i t s t o c o m m u n i t i e s
To address the issue of natural capital
being undervalued and potentially used
unsustainably, SLP has identified
models in which communities and the
private sector contribute directly to the
maintenance of ecosystem services
they receive from the natural capital.
SLP has scoped the development of
‘Payment for Ecosystem Services’ (PES)
models in North Sumatra to improve
the supply and quality of fresh water. In
South Tapanuli, SLP together with
stakeholders has developed a model
and district regulation supporting PES.
The PES models for watershed
management are designed to generate
sustainable financing for the
maintenance of ecosystem services, and
means the people who utilize the
service can enjoy a better quality of life
through the ongoing supply of these
services.
SLP endeavours to mainstream
conservation goals into government
budgets and fiscal drivers. Despite the
available funds to reduce forest loss
(REDD+, etc.) there is a lack of regional
incentives for provinces and districts
that support forest conservation and
base their budget allocations on those
measures.
SLP has worked with local agencies to
leverage existing government budgets
to support management of forests (e.g.
local FMU accessing ministerial funds).
SLP has drawn on international models
to advocate for the development of
fiscal policies that link budget
allocations to natural capital. SLP is also
exploring regional trust fund
mechanisms to support forest
management.
B u d g e t a l l o c a t i o n s
a n d F i s c a l d r i v e r s
P a y m e n t f o r
E c o s y s t e m S e r v i c e s
L o w E m i s s i o n
E n t e r p r i s e s
T h e r o l e o f o u r p a r t n e r s
Because all landscapes are embedded in
administrative units where planning decisions are
made, it is critical that at all levels of government
are effectively engaged to ensure there is
consistent policy and regulatory alignment with
sustainable land uses and land use decisions.
SLP engages directly with the Ministry of
Environment and Forestry and other Ministries of
the Government of Indonesia, and works closely
with the Provincial Governments and District
Governments in North Sumatra and West Papua,
to ensure coordination and consistency of
landscape activities.
G O V E R N M E N T
Effective implementation of land use change is not
possible without directly involving the people who
are living within the areas and dependent upon
the landscapes. Local communities typically have
the highest level of interaction with and
dependence on ecosystem services.
SLP has established multiple models for working
with communities, including Multi-Stakeholder
Forums for sharing and discussing community
views, and the development of Community
Stewardship Programs that realize benefits for
communities through local conservation.
The private sector plays a vital role in establishing
sustainable landscapes, by providing investment,
employment and innovation in products and
services. In this way, the private sector plays a
central role in the development of green supply
chains, with broad economic and social benefits
for communities and society.
SLP engages with the private sector through a
range of Multi-Stakeholder Forums and Advisory
Committees that have focussed on the
development of green supply chains, the use and
promotion of good agricultural practices, and
integration of conservation practices across
sectors.
C O N T A C T U S
L e t ’ s s o c i a l i z e :
P h o n e :
+62 21 7883 8626
W e b :
www.conservation.org
@ConservationID
@ConservationID
Conservation International Indonesia
Conservation International Indonesia
Pejaten Barat 16A
O f f i c e :
Kemang, Jakarta 12550
P R I V A T E S E C T O R
C O M M U N I T I E S
Civil society comprises non-government
organisations and institutions, with particular
interests that may include environmental, social
and economic development issues. They represent
stakeholders in the landscape, at the local,
provincial or national level. They may also be
partners in a range of landscape interventions,
such as conducting studies across the landscape;
facilitating broader stakeholder engagement; or
contributing to the development of community
business models and low emission enterprises. SLP
has worked closely with civil society groups
include environmental NGOs, community
foundations and also universities in North Sumatra
and West Papua.
C I V I L S O C I E T Y