The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

Table 36. ...continuedRiskFactorLikelihood(L)Natural Disturbance RiskRisk ofdevastatingfireRisk of pestand diseaseattacksRisk ofextremeweatherevents (e.g.floods,drought,winds)Geologicalrisk (e.g.volcanoes,earthquakes,landslides)Significance(S)Mitigation(C)MitigationSystem(M)TotalRisk(R)RiskRating0.3333 3 3 4 0.2500 Low0 0 0 0 0.0000 Low0.05 0 4 0 0.0000 Low0 0 4 0 0.0000 LowInfiniteEARTH Rimba-­‐Raya ProjectThe Rimba Raya project has been subjected to fires over its recent history.Much of this has been the result of human induced fires for agricultural landclearing. The drainage of the peat swamps creates conditions for intense andlong burning fires. Thus, one of the driving carbon mitigation functions of theproject is to avoid these fires from occurring. This is achieved throughpreventing the drainage of peat, and putting in place a fire managementsystem including fire watchtowers to rapidly detect, isolate and extinguishany fires that do occur.Pest and disease attacks are not believe to have been a historical issue in theRimba Raya project area. Ecological surveys undertaken throughout theproject lifetime are one method of detecting new invasive and destructivepests or diseases that may result in carbon loss from the project areathrough increased tree mortality.Central Kalimantan is subject to seasonal shifts in precipitation. Riverflooding and mild drying of certain peat areas are the two common extremesof these weather patterns. Flooding presents limited risk to the project area,as it is comprised almost entirely of peat swamp forest areas that are alreadyflooded seasonally. Extended droughts would present only indirect risk inthat it would make the peat more vulnerable to fire. However, firemanagement programs that will be invoked as a result of this project will bepresent to manage such risk.Extreme geological events in Indonesia are experienced regularly. Mostnotably regular earthquakes, landslides and the 2004 Tsunami. The RimbaRaya project area is of sufficient distance from coastal waters to be impactedby a Tsunami. Risks to the project from earthquakes and landslides arenegligible. Borneo ranges are non-­‐volcanic. Only one extinct volcano existson the island and is situated in the far northern region of the island over1,000 kilometers away.228