JAKARTA – The ministry of forestry (Kemenhut) and the USA will collaborate to rehabilitate 12.7 million hectares of degraded lands and forests in Indonesia.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni revealed the ambitious target after a meeting with the USA Ambassador to Indonesia, Kamala S. Lakhdir in Jakarta on Monday (16/12/2024).

Raja Antoni said that they will implement a number of priority programs on forests. The priority programs will also include conservation of primates, especially orangutan.

“We’ve set an ambitious target to rehabilitate 12.7 million hectares of degraded lands and forests,” said the minister.

Several cooperations between Indonesia and the USA also include the program of USAID which is the implementation of MoU and Bilateral Project Framework Agreement FOLU Net Sink, and in legal enforcement through trainings and technical assistances from US Forest Service (USFS).

According to Raja Antoni, the best way to protect forests is by involving the public. “We urge people to plant and protect trees instead of cutting trees. But we also need to improve the public welfare,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Kamala hopes that the bilateral cooperation will keep progressing and producing good results for the benefits of all people. “I think this is a big job that if we complete as expected more collaborations can be pursued,” she said. (*) Source: sawitku.id