A reforestation project in Kalimantan, Indonesia hopes to demonstrate how REDD+ can actually work in practice.

Reuters AlertNet reports on the Australian-funded Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership (KFCP) which aims to design, build, and trial a functioning REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) scheme that is sensitive to both emissions reductions and local livelihoods.

The project will trial techniques and options for emissions reduction, emissions measurement, benefit-sharing, payment schemes, and local institution training and support. It is being conducted in Central Kalimantan where the failed Mega Rice Project (Projek Lahan Gambat) in the 1990s cleared (and burnt) over 1.4 million hectares of peat swamps; devastating the natural environment and livelihoods of local people.

The project proponents believe the key to REDD+ is not just in reducing emissions but introducing livelihood strategies that give farmers and communities incentives to adopt more sustainable techniques. Among these are improving the quality and productivity of smallholder rubber agroforestry systems.

The article explains how a pilot program in 2010 demonstrated how farmers in Kalimantan could improve their yields of quality rubber for which factories were prepared to pay a higher price. Farmer field schools have helped families gain the skills necessary to grow hybrid rubber varieties and venture into mixed agroforestry and other more sustainable farming practices.

It is hoped that the lessons learned from the project will help build a much larger national REDD framework in Indonesia and provide a guide for forest carbon efforts around the world.

Read the full story: Climate Conversations - A how-to guide for putting REDD+ into practice