Wrong Understanding Carbon Leuser

(Response to Yusra Habib Abdul Gani)
By: Muhammad Taufik Hidayat
IN his writings on the Porch (Monday, July 5, 2010) Yusra Habib Abdul Gani (YHAG) has been highly critical questioning where the money designated for conservation and development area of the Leuser. YHAG has resolutely tried to dismantle the public how the funds are received by the Leuser International Foundation (YLI) of cooperation with the World Bank and for what those funds will be used.

It is indeed a critical study of the jerk and awaken us all to question the Leuser it actually belongs to who and to whom and bagaiamana do the best for the people of the Leuser and kemashalatan. My response above YHAG writing does not apply to the issue above. I am more interested to rectify errors shown by YHAG at the beginning of his writing. Regarding what was said by YHAG as "Natural Materials". I contend that what is said to be natural substances such as something that is false and misleading readers remember Porch readers come from various backgrounds and ages. I do not mean to criticize YHAG personally but rather to my responsibility to participate menyadartahukan community about the forest, the environment and its relation to global climate change.

YHAG declare in writing that the Leuser forest area is rich in minerals and is also rich in biodiversity. In addition Leuser also produce substances called by YHAG as a natural substance sprayed by the Leuser forest into the air and sucking and dissolve gases such as carbon dioxide from industrial waste that is harmful to the stability of world climate. Furthermore YHAG also states that a substance that is the reason why the Leuser area became an important area to be maintained. And most importantly YHAG states that this substance only in the Leuser area and not found in other areas such as the Amazon forest in the Southern American continent. What was stated by YHAG above is an erroneous understanding about global climate change. Leuser region is important that the lungs of the world as it is the thing that is undeniable, but how these ecosystems can be a logical explanation is not important as we are told by YHAG.

In my opinion, the reason for preservation of the Leuser in relation to global warming and climate change there are two things. First, is to avoid the destruction of forests due to deforestation or land use change (deforestation). The destruction of forests causes massive release of carbon into the air. Carbon stored in stems, leaves and roots will regardless of whether because of fire or because the chemical processes in nature. The second reason is to maintain the Leuser Ecosystem remain sustainable means to improve its ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide from the air into plant parts (stems, twigs, leaves and roots) for long periods of time, known as forest carbon sequestration. And all green plants photosynthesise that we know have the ability to absorb carbon. So it is not true to say that only the Leuser forest that is capable of absorbing carbon as all forests can do and even a mango tree in my yard is doing it.

Greenhouse Effect
Talking about climate change can not be released from the terms of green house gases (GHG). Many people think that the greenhouse effect (green house effect) is the effect caused by the many buildings that use window / wall of glass. In fact, it is misguided and not for granted. In our atmosphere, there are several gases that are trapping heat from solar radiation, causing effects such as in greenhouses where the heat trapped inside the glass so that the air war became hot. These gases affect temperatures on earth. The higher the concentration of these gases in the air, the higher the ability to save gas this summer that resulted in even more hot air temperature around us.

Greenhouse gases that include carbon dioxide gas, methane and nitrosoksida (NOx) and carbon hello. Carbon dioxide is a gas that is considered most responsible for the increase in air temperature because 85% of greenhouse gases from carbon dioxide (data from European Union countries in 2005). This carbon typically comes from fossil fuel burning and deforestation (destruction-deforestation). This means less fuel use, the less amount of carbon dioxide release into the air. Similarly, more sustainable forest without defaced, the less amount of carbon gas released into the air. That is the reason why we should maintain ecosystems in a sustainable manner because of the Leuser Leuser damaging means to increase the release of carbon gases into the air. Carbon stored for hundreds of years in the roots and stems Leuser forest land will be released into the air.

Besides keeping fixed the Leuser ecosystem sustainably means improving the ability of forests to absorb carbon from the air. All the time every tree in the Leuser forest will absorb carbon through photosynthesis. Sugar or carbohydrates are formed from the partial results will be stored as body tissue, leaves, roots, twigs, branches and stems. Litter at the base of the eternal forests also store carbon from the air. This is what is popular is called a forest carbon sequestration or carbon absorption by forest.

Leuser Ecosystem ability to absorb carbon is very admirable. According to the report "Global Eco Rescue", the Leuser ecosystem can absorb 760 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide gas equivalent) per hectare per year. With an area of more than one million hectares imagine how big a role in maintaining the stability of the Leuser ecosystem of the world's climate. However, when this 30% area is threatened by the activities of the Leuser forest destruction (deforestation). Also the next few years (currently in the process and being fought), the potential for carbon stored in the Leuser can be traded on international carbon market. Results of this carbon trading if managed properly without corruption and short-term interests of certain parties would certainly bring benefits to the development of forest communities that participate in protecting and maintaining the preservation of the Leuser forest.

Leuser Ecosystem is important
Finally, I agree with that ecosystem Lueser YHAG is important to maintain because all the people concerned with its existence. It is important to our interests in Aceh and interests of the world community. Our atmosphere that is connected to one another allows the Leuser ecosystem is important to the world that need to be maintained. Therefore, whoever manages the Leuser shall be responsible to both the public selurh Acehnese society and world society.

However, an important value Leuser is not due to "natural gas" as expressed by YHAG, issued by the Leuser forest but because the extraordinary ability of these ecosystems to absorb carbon through the process of forest carbon sequestration. There is no secret that the gas released by the Leuser but a natural process that we have known for a long time since the first high school in the village that is the process of photosynthesis. It is this process that converts carbon from the air into sugars or carbohydrates. Some of these substances used to sustain the life of the tree and partly stored in the form of roots, twigs, stems and leaves. The process of continuous and massive that occurred in the Leuser ecosystem needs to be preserved to maintain the Leuser function as one of the world's lungs. The task for contributing to all of us in it.

* The writer is a student of International Master Programme on Sustainable Development, Brandeis University in Massachusetts, USA.
(serambinews.com)