RI to extend moratorium on primary forests and peat lands conversion

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Thu, April 11 2013, 6:22 PM

A- A A+

 

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan reiterated Indonesia’s commitment to implement a moratorium on primary forests and peat lands conversion on the 10th United Nations Forum on Forest’s (UNFF) ministerial meetings in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 8 to 9.
The meeting, which was attended by 250 ministers from 197 country delegations, was opened by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Zulkifli conveyed that the 2011 moratorium on primary forests and peat lands conversion, which was conducted together with the sustainable forest management, would not affect the country’s efforts to achieve an average economic growth rate of 6.3 percent annually achieved for 2009-2013.
Indonesia managed to slow its deforestation rate to 450 hectares per year during 2010-2011 from 3.5 million hectares per year in the period of 1999-2002 thanks to the 2011 moratorium and several other initiatives.
At the 10th UNFF, the forest global financing was a crucial issue as the economic crisis in Europe and the United States impeded its implementation in developed countries.
The UNFF was established under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 2000 as a follow up to the non legally binding instrument agreement for all forests in 2007. (asw/ebf)

Posted in: