A task force charged with establishing a forest conservation oversight body has been renewed so that it may fulfill its mandate, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The presidentially appointed task force, which is responsible for setting up an institution to monitor schemes for the United Nations-backed Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation policy, has been given until the end of 2012 to achieve the goal. Its initial working period expired in June without a result.

“The task force is meant to set up the REDD institution, to coordinate arrangement of the REDD+ national strategy, to set up a financial instrument and monitoring agency and monitor implementation of REDD and of a new permit moratorium on peat lands and primary forests,” said Agus Purnomo, a presidential adviser on climate change.

Agus added that as of June, the task force had only managed to finalize a forestry moratorium map, which identifies primary and peat forests for which no concessions may be issued between 2010 and 2012.

The moratorium is part of an agreement with Norway, an exchange from which Indonesia will get $1 billion for REDD projects.

“Previously, it was like the Wild West, where everyone was just experimenting and trying out everything for REDD projects but hitting a brick wall,” Agus said.

“This is where the REDD institution will come in. It will manage and operate REDD activities in the country. It also will issue performance indicators to gauge, for instance, how much we can reduce emissions by implementing REDD schemes on one million hectares of forest in a given year.

“It will also address specific issues, such as money transfers or permits, to ensure that REDD schemes can take place.”

He added that the closest thing to a REDD institution in the country now was the Presidential Working Unit for Development, Supervision and Oversight (UKP4), but that it lacked the sweeping authority that the institution would have .

Hadi Daryanto, the Forestry Ministry secretary general, said there was a need for coordination of REDD schemes, with the ministry responsible for at least 20 pilot projects.

“It’s not just the Forestry Ministry,” he said. “REDD projects are also being conducted by the Agriculture Ministry. So we hope that the REDD institution can play a key role as a coordinator for REDD projects.”

The newest iteration of the REDD task force will be chaired by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, the UKP4 head, with Agus as the group’s secretary.

Other members include Anny Rahmawati (deputy minister of finance), Bayu Krisnamukti (deputy minister of agriculture), Hadi from the Forestry Ministry, Evita Legowo (director general of oil and gas), Lukita Dinarsyah Tuwo (deputy national development minister), Arief Yuwono from the Environment Ministry, Joyo Winoto (head of the National Land Agency, or BPN), Agus Sumartono from the Cabinet Secretariat, and Heru Prasetyo from UKP4.