[Indonesia Report] Gov’t efforts to curb deforestation paid off

Sumatran Forest (Photo:www.freehugger.com)

Following a moratorium on new logging concessions last year, Indonesia has allocated 45 percent of Kalimantan, the country’s part of Borneo Island, to remain as conservation and forested areas and serve as “the lungs of the world,” said the Center of International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in its website.

Indonesian Minister of Forestry, Zulkifli Hasan in November told journalists that Indonesian government has curbed deforestation from 2.5 million hectare per year to 500 thousand hectare per year, according to Indonesian state media.

The success on the effort to decrease deforestation, Hasan said, was due to the mutual awareness of the nation to restore the function of damaged forests, depress the rate of forest degradation and deforestation through forest and land rehabilitation program, the planting of one billion trees to the world program, development of people’s plantations, forests, community forests and village forests, in addition to law enforcement and timber legality verification standards.

Although the deforestation rate continues to decline year by year, but MoF still has concerned of number of forest areas in the province that has not been rehabilitated with reforestation.

Forestry Minister asserted that in the coming years, target of one billion trees program will be prioritized on forest conservation, protection and production forests.

In the outside the forest area, main targets are put  on the development of community forests.
Forestry Minister admitted that public awareness on the importance of increasing urban forest has been elevated greatly in the last 10 years. The existence of the forest in the middle of an urban community has been increased.

“It is characterized by the presence of policy supported by district governments to build and grow green open space.

Meidyana Rayana Intern Reporter news@theasian.asia