TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Environment and Forestry Ministry is aiming to rehabilitate 5.5 million hectares of forests and land in the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2015-2019.

“To implement the rehabilitation program, the Forestry Ministry continues to make efforts to establish cooperations with many parties, both government agencies and private sectors,” Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said Monday, August 22, 2016, in Medan, as quoted by Antara news agency.

According to her, the tree plantings carried out over the years have contributed to rehabilitating critical forest areas, increasing the absorption of CO2 and improving income.

Therefore, sustainable reforestation is needed in line with educating the community to preserve and maintain a healthy environment, she said.

Three plantings, according to Siti, have involved stakeholders and were funded from the state budget (APBN), the regional budget (APBD), special allocation fund (DAK) forestry, CSR, the community, NGOs as well as religious/indigenous leaders.

“The ministry has set the amount of contribution for forest and land rehabilitation from the regional budget at 10 percent, CSR at one percent and the state budget for one million tree seeds produced at permanent nurseries,” the Minister said.

She has confirmed that all districts have been allocated with special funds (DAK) forestry between Rp1.5 billion to Rp2 billion for forest and land rehabilitation, forest security and wildfire mitigation.

Minister Siti said the reforestation carried out in several districts around Toba Lake are part of the ministry’s rehabilitation program.

ANTARA