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Carbon Conservation and App Introduce the World's First Pulpwood Plantation to Carbon Reserve Redd-Plus Initiative

Jakarta, Indonesia (ots/PRNewswire)

Indonesia will
become the home of the world's first privately funded project turning
pulpwood plantation concessions into a carbon reserve. The Kampar
Carbon Reserve, located in Riau Province in Sumatra, is being
established on land previously approved for pulpwood plantation in a
unique public-private partnership announced in Jakarta today.
Creation of the Kampar Carbon Reserve is being led by the green
entrepreneur firm Carbon Conservation in partnership with Asia Pulp &
Paper (APP). The pair worked with the Indonesian Ministry of
Forestry, land concession holder PT. Putra Riau Perkasa (PRP), and
local stakeholders to re-allocate more than 15,000 hectares of deep
peat carbon sink from concessions allocated for pulpwood plantation
to conservation land in an effort to open the door to this
world-first pilot project.
Kampar Carbon Reserve has been subjected to multiple assessments
which convinced APP that this is a unique area in the Semenanjung
Kampar peat dome that needs to be conserved. Currently for at least
the next 30 years the bio-diverse rich peat dome of Kampar Carbon
Reserve is expected to preserve significant amounts of carbon. Carbon
stock assessments conducted in the coming months will confirm the
amount.
The project is designed to use the sale of REDD-Plus credits to
inject millions of dollars into local job creation and community
development programs in the indigenous communities surrounding the
land over the lifespan of the preservation program. The community
development programs will help reduce the pressures exerted on the
forest from the local communities, while still allowing local
residents to improve their livelihoods and to prosper.
"Working with APP we are giving new life to a carbon-rich piece
of land that is roughly a quarter the size of Singapore that we are
now conserving as a protected carbon plantation," said Dorjee Sun,
CEO of Carbon Conservation, co-headquartered in Australia and
Singapore. "This is the first real attempt by a pulpwood producer to
measure the difference in carbon conservation of what would have
happened in its existing state, what would happen in a pulpwood
plantation scenario and what will happen after preservation."
"The Kampar Carbon Reserve is a gift from Indonesia to the world.
We are working with the Ministry of Forestry, PRP and other concerned
stakeholders to create a pilot program that helps tackle the global
climate change challenge. At the same time we are creating real
community investment programs directed at the true root of
Indonesia's environmental issues: poverty in the indigenous
communities surrounding the rainforests," said Aida Greenbury,
sustainability managing director for APP.
Carbon Conservation will lead the effort to independently measure
the CO2 footprint and build a conservation model that will determine
the true annual output of the new reserve. The group will also lead
the effort to bring in independent investors to purchase and market
REDD-Plus credits that will generate the revenue to support the
program.
APP and PRP will lead the forestry and community development
aspect of the program, working with government authorities to help
protect the land from anything that could hamper the carbon preserved
and establish programs in the surrounding Riau province to create
jobs and community investment programs to help protect the area.
Independent auditors will conduct annual reviews to validate
preservation activities and ensure accuracy of carbon preservation
measurements.
"Innovation in environmental development has to be closely
connected to economic development to make a real impact. The current
plan is to protect this land for at least the next 30 years, but just
as important is that it will be a highly productive contributor to
local community development and reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions," said Sun.
"APP's goal is to protect large landscape forests that have high
conservation value and critical peat land. We put all land through
rigorous scientific assessments to help us determine the most
appropriate use. We used this same approach as we developed our
partnerships supporting the Biosphere Reserve in the Giam Siak Kecil,
Senepis Sumatran Tiger Sanctuary in Riau Province, Taman Raja Nature
Reserve in Jambi Province and Kutai Orangutan Program in Kalimantan,"
Ms. Greenbury said.
Kampar Carbon Reserve will develop in three phases. Phase one
will take three to six months to do a complete assessment of the
land, soil analysis and community needs, issues and challenges. Phase
two, which could take approximately one year to complete, will
involve independent auditors validating the carbon preservation model
and securing third-party investment. Phase three will extend through
the life of the project and will include activities to both protect
and improve the land as well as annual third-party verification and
certification.
ABOUT CARBON CONSERVATION
Carbon Conservation is a pioneering Asian-Australian company
based in Singapore and a world leader in deforestation carbon
credits. As a pioneer in the commercialization of forest�based
carbon offsets, Carbon Conservation has had numerous successes in the
generation of positive marketing rewards for supporters and
participants in our projects. Carbon Conservations high profile
carbon finance projects have been well documented in the media via
various articles in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine and
others. Some of these achievements include Carbon Conservation's deal
with Merrill Lynch on the Aceh Ulu Masen Project clinching the Carbon
Finance Deal of the Year in 2008. CC's CEO, Dorjee Sun, has also been
named one of TIME magazine's Environmental Heroes of the Year 2009 as
well as was featured in the National Geographic documentary The
Burning Season narrated by Hugh Jackman, which has aired in cinemas
and on global TV.
ABOUT APP
Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) is a brand name for 5 pulp and paper
mills in Indonesia. These are PT. Pabrik Kertas Tjiwi Kimia Tbk., PT.
Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper, PT. Pindo Deli Pulp & Paper Mills, PT.
Ekamas Fortuna, and PT. Lontar Papyrus. The paper business was
started in 1972 by Indonesian entrepreneur Eka Tjipta Widjaja, with
PT. Pabrik Kertas Tjiwi Kimia in Mojokerto. APP's mission is to
become the 21st Century's number-one international-standard paper and
pulp manufacturer, dedicated to providing superior value to
customers, shareholders, employees and the community.
APP is committed to the protection and conservation of all
endangered wildlife, indigenous species and fauna throughout
Indonesia. In addition to the sustainable management of pulpwood
plantations, APP supports a number of large wildlife projects in
areas of high biodiversity and critical peatland, including: the
106,000-hectare Senepis Sumatran Tiger Sanctuary in Riau Province;
the 172,000-hectare Biosphere Reserve in the Giam Siak Kecil Bukit
Batu region in Riau Province; the Taman Raja Nature Reserve in Jambi
province; The Kutai Orangutan Program in Kalimantan; and the
76,000-hectare Javan Rhino Sanctuary in Ujung Kulon National Park.
- Translations Available on Request

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CONTACT: Contact: Marie-Louise Burman T:
+44(0)207-331-5478marie-louise.burman@cohnwolfe.com