14 Unveiling the ‘Green’: Media Coverage on the Aceh Green Vision
283
(the north-most province on the island of Sumatra), massive illegal logging practices caused livelihood transformation particularly during the rehabilitation and
reconstruction following the disastrous earthquake and tsunami in 2004.
Aceh Takes Actions to Mitigate Climate Change Pressures
The Indonesian environmental crisis is increasingly gaining political and media
attention both nationally and globally. Of recent significance is former President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s (SBY) pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by 26% independently by 2020, and by 41% with outside assistance. The country’s
recent level emission assessment showed the unconditional reduction target is 29%
of the business-as-usual scenario by 2030. However, the Government of Indonesia is
mindful of changes due to national and global economic circumstances (UNCC
2019). Driven by serious political, administrative, and economic demands for
reforms, the central government has begun to decentralise, transferring new powers
to the district and municipal levels.
Decentralisation in the forestry sector included transferring income from permits,
logging and reforestation fees, as well as authorising lower levels of government to
issue logging permits (Sahide et al. 2016). Despite the controversy of the local environmental policy, the Aceh Province, under the former governor Irwandi Yusuf, has
shown progressive action to resolve environmental issues in the region, especially
tackling illegal logging in the Sumatran forest within the Leuseur conservation area in
Aceh. The governor announced a policy on environmental sustainability and protection for Aceh—the Aceh Green Vision (AGV)—in 2007, aiming to improve human
wellbeing and social equity, while at the same time reducing environmental risks
and ecological scarcities, as suggested by the UNEP in 2011 (BRR 2008; Swainson
2016b).
Aceh Green Vision: A Response to Environmental Destruction
Aceh Green Vision (hereafter AGV) was the first Indonesian provincial government
attempt to transform economic and environmental management systems in an integrated, cross-sectoral manner, as envisaged by green economy engineers (Swainson
2016a, p. iii). It has become a critical battleground between proponents of the existing
economic system and those actors who espouse a more sustainable approach to
development which indicates challenges of green economy policy reform in Aceh
(Swainson and Mahanty 2018; Swainson 2016a). AGV includes eight cross-sectoral
components:
283
(the north-most province on the island of Sumatra), massive illegal logging practices caused livelihood transformation particularly during the rehabilitation and
reconstruction following the disastrous earthquake and tsunami in 2004.
Aceh Takes Actions to Mitigate Climate Change Pressures
The Indonesian environmental crisis is increasingly gaining political and media
attention both nationally and globally. Of recent significance is former President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s (SBY) pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by 26% independently by 2020, and by 41% with outside assistance. The country’s
recent level emission assessment showed the unconditional reduction target is 29%
of the business-as-usual scenario by 2030. However, the Government of Indonesia is
mindful of changes due to national and global economic circumstances (UNCC
2019). Driven by serious political, administrative, and economic demands for
reforms, the central government has begun to decentralise, transferring new powers
to the district and municipal levels.
Decentralisation in the forestry sector included transferring income from permits,
logging and reforestation fees, as well as authorising lower levels of government to
issue logging permits (Sahide et al. 2016). Despite the controversy of the local environmental policy, the Aceh Province, under the former governor Irwandi Yusuf, has
shown progressive action to resolve environmental issues in the region, especially
tackling illegal logging in the Sumatran forest within the Leuseur conservation area in
Aceh. The governor announced a policy on environmental sustainability and protection for Aceh—the Aceh Green Vision (AGV)—in 2007, aiming to improve human
wellbeing and social equity, while at the same time reducing environmental risks
and ecological scarcities, as suggested by the UNEP in 2011 (BRR 2008; Swainson
2016b).
Aceh Green Vision: A Response to Environmental Destruction
Aceh Green Vision (hereafter AGV) was the first Indonesian provincial government
attempt to transform economic and environmental management systems in an integrated, cross-sectoral manner, as envisaged by green economy engineers (Swainson
2016a, p. iii). It has become a critical battleground between proponents of the existing
economic system and those actors who espouse a more sustainable approach to
development which indicates challenges of green economy policy reform in Aceh
(Swainson and Mahanty 2018; Swainson 2016a). AGV includes eight cross-sectoral
components: