According to Anderson Tanoto, managing director, RGE, carbon credits are a commodity to be valued and traded.
“Too often, discussions about carbon credits miss this broader point.
When forests retain more carbon than they emit, they become a carbon sink.
But that’s just half the story.
But at more than 150,000 hectares – an area the size of greater London – situated on the Kampar Peninsula and neighboring Padang Island in Riau Province, RER is an entire landscape delivering multiple benefits.
These include increasing species count with 823 species of plants and animals recorded in the restoration area in 2020 – many of which are classified by the IUCN as being of conservation concern.
Protecting and restoring the forest area contributes to multiple values, and stored carbon will make an important contribution to financing this important work.
The reason that RER is so important is not only because it is one of the last intact peatland forests.
Carbon credits can be a catalyst for landscape protection and restoration, funding additional forest conservation and restoration as well as offsetting emissions from business activities.