WALHI accuses Irwandi of breaking REDD+ promises in Aceh

Mongabay is reporting that WALHI has accused Aceh Governor Irwandi of approving a permit to put a palm oil plantation on a peat forest....which would go against many of the Aceh REDD laws, goals, institutions, and personalities. I'm quoted in the brief article and recommend that all the facts are brought out and the governor's office has time to respond before leaping to any conclusions. WALHI is not the most neutral observer of REDD in Aceh, having fought against REDD programs in Aceh pretty much every step of the way.

Aceh's Governor Irwandi birthday surprise visit

As far as birthday surprises go, my 40th birthday couldn't have been more exciting. One of my heroes in this world, Governor Yusuf Irwandi of Aceh Indonesia, is an icon in conservation, democracy and human rights.

Governor Irwandi and some of his senior staff (Wibi, Yakob, Rafli, and others) popped by unexpected to share some food, play with kids, and toast to a new year. TFG is looking forward to staying engaged in Aceh forest conservation and sustainable livelihood efforts in the coming months and years.

You can read a 2007 article about Yusuf Irwandi (that I wrote when I was still in the private sector) here:

http://ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/article.opinion.php?component_id=5358&component_version_id=7777&language_id=12