Australian Ambassador and Minister for Forestry visit Central Kalimantan

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty accompanied Indonesian Minister for Foresty Zulkifli Hasan on a successful visit to Kalimantan to inspect sites key to reducing the impact of climate change.

“I saw first-hand the good progress to re-forest degraded peat lands in Central Kalimantan under a scheme funded by Australia. I was very pleased that Minister Zulkifli Hasan was so supportive of the work in the Kapuas district”, said Greg Moriarty, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia.

“Together, we saw seedlings of native species being grown for re-planting and travelled in local canoes to look at the peat which, when deforested, is a major contributor of Indonesia’s carbon emissions.”

Australia has committed $47 million over four years to the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership (KFCP). Under the KFCP, Australia and Indonesia are working together to develop and implement a large-scale project in Central Kalimantan aimed at reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, including from the degradation of peatlands.

This year the KFCP program will support the local community to grow and plant 1.2 million seedlings. So far 1.4 billion rupiah has been provided to villages for the establishment of these nurseries.

“We hope that by getting the local community involved in stopping further degradation of the peat we can both improve the livelihoods of the local community and also contribute to the global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” Ambassador Moriarty said.

“I look forward to continuing the strong cooperation with the Ministry of Forestry, the Provincial and District Government and of course the strong involvement of the local community in tackling this global challenge.”

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