Abstract
Large-scale land exploitation has been regarded as a quick way to jumpstart backward agricultural economies, but it also brought about profound impacts on climate change through terrestrial carbon stock change. Kalimantan is a major site of terrestrial carbon stock loss. Major carbon stock loss happened in the 1970–1980s due to predatory logging activities under Suharto’s regime. Since 2000, the conversion of forest to oil palm plantation has become a prominent driver. In 2006–2010, the total carbon stock loss in Kalimantan amounted to 53 Tg CO2/yr. Boosting upstream productivity of cash crops, mobilising under-utilised low carbon and degraded land resources, creating value for carbon stock (e.g. REDD+) and enhancing resilience to natural and human-made disasters were regarded as the four major strategies proposed for transforming exploitative land-based activities. However, the implementation of each strategy has faced various challenges. The first two strategies with wealth creation as the centre of policymaking may prevent further degradation but are inadequate to repair the previous environmental damage. Similarly, the last two strategies that emphasise restoration have limited contribution to economic growth. To better understand the dynamics of such transformation, careful attention must be paid to the territorial-specific characteristics and on-the-ground realities. This must also include the historical background of land-based development and its continuity.