Mount Rinjani
EU–(ENEWSPF)–11 July 2013. Satellites show how we can promote economic development in an environmentally sustainable manner by putting a price on nature’s resources.
Located on the Indonesian island of Lombok, the Mount Rinjani National Park is an important ecosystem for numerous endangered plants and animals. Just outside the park’s boundaries, the fertile soils are exploited for agriculture and much of the forest has been cleared away for farmland.
These farms are of great importance to the local economy, but deforestation has gravely affected water availability over the last decade. While the farms may contribute to an economic profit, the troubles experienced by upstream communities – and the island as a whole – likely cause a deficit.
In many cases, a natural ecosystem’s economic value outweighs the potential economic gain by destroying it. How? In the Lombok example, the forest provides water security and filtration, is a natural carbon store, protects against soil erosion and has the potential for ecotourism.
