RIMBA Integrated Ecosystem Area

Overview

RIMBA involves model locations (19 districts in RIau, JaMbi and Sumatra Barat – all in Central Sumatra) for sustainable planning and forest development with low carbon emissions. Realizing the threatening impact of human actions to the abundant ecosystem of the Sumatra forest, the Indonesian government, together with ForTRUST (Sumatra Spatial Planning Forum) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), is conducting projects whose five action priorities under the Roadmap Action Plan for Sumatra include: (1) restoration of damaged natural forests; (2) forest carbon projects, which include funding for actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through forestation, reforestation, and reduced deforestation and forest degradation; (3) payments for watershed services (PWS), carried out as contractual and voluntary transactions where a buyer agrees to provide payment to a seller’based on the delivery of a hydrological ecosystem service; (4) implementation of best management practices for plantations; and (5) implementation of best management practices for forestry, including biodiversity conservation in provincial strategic areas, arrangement of inter-organization coordinating mechanisms, and development of incentive instruments.

RIMBA covers three prioritized Tiger Conservation Landscapes that include Kampar Kerumutan, Bukit Tigapuluh and Kerinci Seblat. It also encompasses the remaining high-biodiversity lowland, peat swamp forest and degraded areas prioritized for restoration.

The spatial plan of RIMBA has the potential to make a major contribution to Indonesia’s commitment of reducing 26 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Currently, the project is in its preparation stage, funded through a Global Environment Facility (GEF) with USD 400,000. According to a GEF project identification report, the total co-financing for this project reaches USD 35,100,000 from government institutions, foundations, and various other related programs in Sumatra . It was also mentioned that WWF funded USD 2,746,000 of the program.

Points about the partnership

-WWF and ForTRUST work together with government agencies in this project;
-Implementing the roadmap for the RIMBA area – which consists of carbon-rich peat lands – can enhance wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, and benefit the downstream communities through improvement of water quality;
-Following the government’s request, through cooperation with ForTRUST, WWF uses software called “Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs” (InVEST1) to map the distribution of wildlife habitats and natural ecosystem services provided by RIMBA;
-Project partners had taken a pivotal role in empowering local communities, via the sharing of best management practices for plantations and forestry.