TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The officials of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the Unite Nations, highlighted high deforestation rate occurring in Indonesia that reaches 680,000 hectare per year. The message is coneveyed by the Head of FAO Representative in Indonesia, Mark Smulders in a press release on Saturday, 21 March 2015, in commemoration of the International Day of Forest.
Mark said that it would be impossible to win the battle against climate change without multiplying the efforts to reduce deforestation occurring in Indonesia. In 2009, the Government of Indonesia had vowed to reduce its green house gas emission by 26 percent independently, and by 41 percent with international supports, by the year of 2020.
Deforestation and forest degradation in Indonesia are driven by various, related factors such as forest deprivation, wildfire, swidden farming, illegal logging and trading, and poverty. According to the FAO, a comprehensive and sustainable approach is needed to preserve Indonesian forests and its biodiversity. The approach includes, among others, protection of coastal zones, reduction of the climate change rate, and provision of basic needs for the life of millions of people.
The FAO has recently agreed to provide aid to the Environment and Forestry Ministry in the form of experts and funding to strengthen the Forest Management Unit (KPH). The organization also provides Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) training for farmers and state officials in Central Kalimantan.
In the future, said Smulders, FAO will collaborate with governnment institutions and other development institutions to provide technical aid for three highlands in Java Island in a mission to overcome land degradation, climate change, and to implement sustainable forest management.
UNTUNG WIDYANTO