The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve REDD Project

GOLD LEVEL SECTIONGL2. Exceptional Community BenefitsThe Rimba Raya project is applying for Gold Level status underthe CCBA standard on the basis of the exceptional biodiversitybenefits described below.GL2.1. Human Development RankingDemonstrate that the project zone is in a low human developmentcountry OR in an administrative area of a medium or high humandevelopment country in which at least 50% of the population of thatarea is below the national poverty line.Indonesia is a Medium Human Development country on theUNDP Human Development Index (UNDP 2007). Poverty level ofthe administrative area of the project, therefore, is used toqualify for Criterion GL2.1.The national poverty line in Indonesia, set by the IndonesianBureau of Statistics (Badan Pusat Statistic – BPS), is defined byhousehold ability to afford a specified minimum food intake andother essential non-­‐food items. The Indonesian poverty line isstricter than that commonly used by international organizations,such as the World Bank and UN. Where these organizations setthe threshold for extreme poverty at US$1/person/day, andmoderate poverty at US$2/person/day, BPS has set theIndonesian poverty limit at $1.55/person/day (WB 2006).This difference ($0.45) may seem trivial, but its impact on povertystatistics is profound – tens of millions of Indonesian householdsmeet World Bank and UN definitions of poverty, but not nationalones, and are thus included from national statistics.For example, in 2006 BPS reported 17.8% of Indonesians weresaid to live below the national poverty line, yet 49% of thepopulation was living on less than $2/day (WB 2006).Additionally, Indonesian national poverty statistics do not reflectthe lack of access to basic services and poor human developmentoutcomes that are endemic to most outer lying regions of thearchipelago, including the Project Area.It is in this light that we review Indonesian poverty statistics andthe reality on the ground in the Rimba Raya Project Area in orderto justify qualification of the project for this criterion.273