Kalimantan

Setting
Kalteng, the Province of Central Kalimantan, occupies over 153,000 square kilometers. About a quarter of this area is covered by peatland. Tropical peatlands are characterized by a special type of rainforest high in biodiversity. Peatland rainforests contain rare endemic animal and plant species, many of which are considered to be endangered. The largest population of Orang utans in the world is found in Kalteng Province.They are considered to be hotspots of global biodiversity.
Furthermore, these peatlands form important stores of organic carbon. The implications for global climate processes are clear, as well as the potential for future storing of carbon.

Problem

Poverty in Kalteng Province is widespread, with 34% of the population living under the poverty line. Over 50% of the labour force is involved in agriculture and forestry, and although profits from forestry are gradually decreasing and prospects for sustainable forestry are nor good, income from plantation crops is increasing.

Bio-rights
Bio-rights has an important role to play in Kalteng, mainly through payments to ensure conservation and to maintain the carbon saequestration capacity of the peat swamp forests.
Profitable land use options such as oil palm, could under certain conditions help to promote sustainable development of deforested and degraded areas. Bio-rights payments could work as a catalisty in this process.