VIVAnews - Indonesia and Australia cemented a Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership program to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation which is supported by A$30 million of fund.
The partnership was inaugurated by Australian Water and Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Minister, Senator Penny Wong, and Indonesian Forestry Affairs Minister, Zulkifli Hasan, on Tuesday, March 2.
The Australian Embassy in Jakarta revealed that the carbon partnership program is a significant progress of the bilateral partnership in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).
"This is part of the Indonesia-Australia Sumatra Forest Carbon Partnership framework signed by Prime Minister Rudd and President Yudhoyono in June 2008," the Australian Embassy stated in a written statement.
The new joint REDD activities in Sumatra will suppress threats over mineral-rich forests in Jambi, Sumatra.
The area of Jambi Province reaches 5.3 million hectares . In 2005, it was estimated that one-third of Jambi area was covered by forests. However, it turned out that the lay-out kept changing due to land conversion, which has resulted in greenhouse emissions.
Forestry Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan welcomed the announcement in Copenhagen by Australia, France, Norway, England and United States to allocate US$3.5 billion of fast-start fund for REDD-plus including the contribution from Australia worth US$120 million.
In addition to a partnership in Central Kalimantan and Sumatra, Indonesia and Australia are in cooperation in outlining policy and calculation framework for REDD-plus. The partnership aims at setting up foundation for the application of the global REDD mechanism.
Australia's fund for the carbon partnership program was channeled by the International Forest Carbon Initiative worth A$200 million. The total commitment for the carbon partnership between Indonesia and Australia worth A$70 million.
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Translated by: Bonardo Maulana W
