INDONESIA INVESTS IN TREE PLANTING PROGRAM FOR FUTURE GENERATION by Fardah

   Jakarta, Nov 27, 2013 (Antara) - To mark the Indonesia's Tree Planting Day and National Planting Month 2013, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono planted a Kalpataru tree (Hura crepitan) in Datah village of Karangasem district in the Bali Province on Monday.

        Thousands of trees were planted simultaneously at various locations in Indonesia on the same day during the tree planting day/month commemoration.

        In line with the Presidential Decree No. 24/2008, the government had declared Nov. 28 as the Indonesian Tree Planting Day (HMPI) and December as the National Planting Month (BMN).

        This year, the theme of the events was "Leave Better Forests for Future Generation of the Nation."
  In his speech, President Yudhoyono urged the Indonesian people to invest in the environment by continuously planting trees for the sake of the nation's future generation.

        Every Indonesian tribe has environmental wisdom about harmonious living between human beings and nature, he stated.

        "Such a philosophy is everywhere. Let's implement the philosophy for the sake of better lives," the President said.

        As part of the government's commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2020, Indonesia has pledged to plant billions of trees throughout the country.

        During the 2010 to 2013 period, the country planted at least one billion trees under the tree planting program. The number has continued to increase and is expected to touch two billion in 2014, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan pointed out.

        The minister noted that Indonesia had been consistent in implementing sustainable development by preserving its forests for the future generation.

        Forests have various functions--they protect the environment from floods, landslides, drought and the impact of climate change. They provide wood, non-timber products, food sources, energy, medicinal herbs, water, oxygen and are a source of nature tourism.

        Forests are also home to varied flora and fauna, and places for biodiversity preservation, as well as for education and research.

        The theme for the tree planting day and the planting month in 2012 was "Urban Forests Promote Green Indonesia."
   On the occasion, the Forestry Ministry had presented awards to local administrations, companies and individuals, who were considered as having made significant contributions to the environmental program.

        The recipients included Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, East Java Governor Soekarwo, South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Bengkulu Governor Junaidi H Masya, Banyuwangi District Head Abdullah Azwar Anas (in East Java), Karangasem District Head I Wayan G (Bali), Minahasa District Head Yance W Sayaou (North Sulawesi), Pasuruan Hasani (East Java), Ternate Mayor Burhan Abdurahman (North Maluku) and Balikapapan Mayor M Rizal Effendi (East Kalimantan).

        Other recipients included state oil and gas company PT. Pertamina EP, PT. Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, Cigarette company PT. Djarum, Forestry company Perhutani, PT. Duta Indonesia Djaya, PT. Aneka Tambang, PT. Bukit Asam, UGM Yogyakarta and the Indonesian Tree Community.

        Individuals awarded by the Forestry Ministry for their initiative in tree planting activities included Major General Doni Monardo, Andi Tenri Gappa, TGH Hasanain Juaini, Marselinus Agot and Amin Sidik.

        Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said on the occasion that owing to the tree planting program, the arid area on the island had decreased significantly.

        "The forest area in Bali covers 130,686 hectares or just 22.59 percent of the island's total area, which is still below the required forested area stipulated by the government," he said.

        Indonesia's tropical rainforests are the world's third-largest after the Amazon in Brazil and the Congo in Africa, covering around 120 million hectares, or 62 percent of the total land surface, with a total carbon storage of 60 gigatons (billion tons).

        The area covered by the country's forest is roughly the size of France, Italy and Spain combined.

        However, Indonesia's deforestation rates are significant. The loss in forest area was estimated to have reached 3.5 million hectares or around 2.9 percent of its total forest area between 2000 and 2005.

        In 2011, the head of the state signed a Presidential Instruction on a deforestation moratorium to help curb the impact of climate change and preserve the remaining tropical forests and biodiversity in it.

        In the middle of 2013, President Yudhoyono took the decision to extend the country's forest moratorium. The new Presidential Instruction adds another two years of protection for over 43 million hectares of primary forests and peat land, located over an area that is the size of Japan.

        While observing Indonesia's Tree Planting Day and National Tree Planting Month in West Java, on December 8, 2009, the head of state had urged the nation to plant 4 billion trees by 2020 and 9.2 billion trees by 2050.

        "If we can plant at least half of what we have targeted, we can reduce carbon emissions by 46 billion, by 2050. The figure is indeed pessimistic, but if we can plant more trees, more CO2 can be captured, and this will be our contribution to the world," the President noted. ***4***
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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 27-11-2013 13:35:20