Indonesia’s Moratorium on New Forest Concessions: a review

The review finds that while Indonesia's moratorium covers 42.5 million hectares of primary forests and peat lands, it provides additional protection to only 13.7 million hectares (13%) after accounting for existing protections. The authors argue the moratorium is unlikely to meet national emission targets in its current form because it excludes secondary forests and existing concessions, and suffers from enforcement gaps and a lack of data transparency.

• The moratorium applies to 42.5 million hectares of primary forests and peat lands, but only 13.7 million hectares (13%) of these areas receive additional protection beyond existing mechanisms such as legal conservation status, steep slopes, and peat deeper than 3 meters. These additionally protected lands contain 16% of Indonesia's biomass and peat carbon.
• Significant gaps in the moratorium's coverage include the exemption of 12.5 million hectares already under concession and the total exclusion of secondary forests, which may possess high carbon content and ecosystem values.
• The moratorium is unlikely to achieve the goal of reducing GHG emissions by 26% or more by 2020 because most covered primary forests are already protected or inaccessible, while high-carbon secondary forests and existing concessions remain unprotected.
• Enforcement and transparency issues persist, with remote sensing and ground-truthing at 20 sites confirming that clearings in primary forests subject to the moratorium occurred within the first four months of its establishment.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). Indonesia’s Moratorium on New Forest Concessions: a review. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/02/indonesia-moratorium-forest-carbon-stocks-summary%255B1%255D_0.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Indonesia’s Moratorium on New Forest Concessions: a review. n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/02/indonesia-moratorium-forest-carbon-stocks-summary%255B1%255D_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Indonesia’s Moratorium on New Forest Concessions: a review |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/02/indonesia-moratorium-forest-carbon-stocks-summary%255B1%255D_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsndindonesias, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Indonesia’s Moratorium on New Forest Concessions: a review}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/02/indonesia-moratorium-forest-carbon-stocks-summary%255B1%255D_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }