Dharsono Hartono works as the CEO of PT Rimba Makmur Utama (PT RMU), an Indonesian based company developing Katingan Mentaya Project, a 149.800 hectare peatland forest restoration and conservation project in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The Project is currently the largest Nature Based Solution project verified by Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) in the world.
Which generates an average of 7.5 million triple gold certified carbon credits annually; equivalent to taking 2,000,000 cars off the road each year.
The project area was previously under threat of conversion to an industrial acacia
plantation. Since over 90% of the carbon stock in the project area lies in the
underlying peat soils, the conversion would have released a large amount of carbon
through forest clearance, draining and burning of the underlying peat.
Through performance-based carbon financing, Katingan Mentaya Project offers a
viable alternative to conversion, preventing the release of greenhouse gases
equivalent to 447,110,760 tonnes of carbon dioxide over 60 years. Ecosystem
restoration projects face challenges in securing permits, support by the local
communities, and carbon buyers. Dharsono works closely with the local and
national governments to secure the project concession permits. He also works
continuously with the local communities in the project area to help them shift from
extractive economic activities, such as logging, to more sustainable activities, such
as rattan cultivation, fisheries, and coconut sugar production.
PT RMU also cooperates with international stakeholders to market its carbon stock
to buyers abroad. Dharsono obtained a bachelor’s degree in Operation Research,
and a Master of Engineering from Cornell University in Financial Engineering.