Aceh, Indonesia

Indonesia
Governor Irwandi Yusuf
Representative Ir. Saminuddin B Tou Head of Forestry Agency

Description

Aceh lies between 20 and 60 degrees north of the equator at the extreme north of the Island of Sumatra and across the Strait of Malacca from Peninsular Malaysia. It is the most western province in Indonesia and has a unique history strongly embedded in a social structure reflecting the importance of Islam to the peoples’ day to day lives. Within a formal administrative structure common to Indonesia there is a system of informal leadership (mukim) which identifies local communities strongly held within religious bonds. These communities, with their religious base, are a strong part of Acehnese society. The Province was granted Special Autonomy in 2001. They are key agents mobilized by the Governor as part of the Province’s REDD initiatives for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The Province occupies an area of almost 57 000 km² and supports a population of 4.3 million of whom most live in rural environments. The population is of mixed ethnic origin with original Acehnese complemented by communities from Java, elsewhere in Sumatra and ethnic Chinese. GDP in 2008 was USD 3.8 million of which the agricultural sector, including forestry and estate crops, contributed about USD 900 million. Aceh has been a major source of oil and natural gas production and this sector is still the main contributor to GDP. Mean per capita income is USD 881.3 with levels of poverty and the HDI similar to the national average.

As LNG production declines the government is focusing on a green development strategy. Green Aceh seeks to optimize the use of its hydro generating potential; implement sustainable forest management, retain and protect its lowlands for food production, to be mindful of the importance of waste management and land use to reducing disaster risk, and to carefully regulate the use of its non-renewable resources. This approach to an economic future with a low carbon footprint is consistent with national policy and underlies the Province’s commitment to sustainable use of its forests, reflected in a significant reclassification of forest use zones to Protection Forest and Conservation Reserves and a moratorium on commercial logging.

Prior to the introduction of commercial logging the estimated area of forest was just over 36 000 km². The remaining forest area of 33 400 km. Like Papua, Aceh has historically low rates of deforestation which attest to the difficulty of large scale logging in steep uplands and the impact of a long, armed struggle for independence. These low rates will influence the approach taken to establishing baselines for future carbon trade. Over 80% of the remaining forest area is designated for nature conservation and protection purposes, emphasizing the importance of developing non-destructive uses for the forests such as tourism and payments for environmental services, including REDD. Current estimates of the carbon sequestered in the forests of Aceh total 602 million tonnes CO₂e. The forests of Aceh contain the biggest remaining populations of Sumatran Rhino, tiger and orangutan. The Leuser Ecosystem Reserve and Ulu Masen Forest Reserve are globally significant forests and are seeking support from REDD investment in their future management.

Additional information can be found on the GCF Impact Platform.

Summary

Total Land Area 56,776 km²
% of Land That Is Forest 55.7 %
Deforestation Trend -18.0 % 2016 - 2017

Demographics

Population of State/Province 4.49 M
% of National Population 1.9%

Urban vs. Rural Population

Category %
Rural 80.67
Urban 19.32

Ethnic Groups

Group %
Acehnese 79.00
Gayo Lut 7.00
Gayo Luwes 5.00
Alas 4.00
Singkil 3.00
Simeulue 2.00

Economy

State/Province GDP IDR 146.5
Annual Per Capita Income IDR 28.25 M

GDP Breakdown

Category %
Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry & Fisheries 23.86
Trade, Hotel & Restaurant 13.71
Mining & Quarrying 9.96
Services 9.85
Transport & Communication 9.37
Construction 8.61
Processing Industry 7.54
Human Development Index 0.717
Main Exports Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation, inorganic chemicals, fertilizers, ores, slag, ash, cocoa and cocoa preparations

Forest Status

Original Forest Area 33,485 km²
Current Forest Area 31,600 km²
Total Area Deforested 1,885 km²
Total Forest Carbon 449 M MtC

Major Vegetation Types

Category km²
Secondary Dryland Forests 17,295
Primary Forest 12,048
Shrubs 6,901
Agriculture Dry land mixed 5,703
Agriculture Dry land 3,430
Rice fields 3,198
Plantation 1,839
Secondary Swamp Forest 1,144
Savannah 1,139
Swamp 959
Open Ground 884
Tambak 716
Crops 464
Water body 324
Secondary Mangrove Forest 294
Settlement 219
Primary Swamp Forest 98

Forest Management

Category km²
Conserved Forest Area 14,277

Drivers of Deforestation

According to Aceh’s Strategic REDD+ Action Plan (2014), the primary drivers of deforestation are:

  1. Weak compliance with the spatial structure
  2. Tenure conflicts
  3. Ineffective Forest management institutions
  4. Ongoing post-conflict livelihoods transformation
  5. Policy incentives and disincentives have not been implemented
  6. Government (Political Will)
  7. Conflicts over authority to regulate land use change
  8. Perceptions of forest areas and natural resources are administratively restricted
  9. Lack of alternative sources of wood
  10. Weak Law enforcement

Deforestation Rates

Notes

a.

Due to different methodological approaches and base years, Forest Status data fields may differ slightly. Data sources for each field are listed below.

Sources

1.

Aceh Dalam Angka 2014, Hal. 42
2.

BPS-SP 2012 Aceh, hal 113
3.

BPS 2016
4.

Aceh dalam angka 2012, BPS
5.

Aceh Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Aceh dalam angka 2012 hal 493 link
6.

Aceh dalam angka 2012 hal 350 , BPS
7.

Ministry of Environment and Forestry 2018
8.

Provincial SRAP (2014)