INDONESIA SETS EXAMPLE IN PEATLAND MANAGEMENT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 22 (Antara) - Indonesia is considered to have been successful in reducing its forest and peatland fires, which often disturb the activities of people not only at home but also in neighboring countries.          But due to the extensive acreage of its peatlands, which some claim to reach 20 million hectares, Indonesia still needs more experts. According to Director of the Indonesian Institute of Agroecology (INAgri), Syahroni, Indonesia needs more peat experts to formulate a prudent strategy to ensure optimal utilization.          While it still needs peatland experts, the country has demonstrated its success in managing its peatlands. It has even set itself as an example of a successful country in peatland management.          Indonesia has brought this peatland diplomacy to a global level, especially at the Global Peatland Initiative Working Group Meeting in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo.          For the success of Indonesia, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, at the meeting, was not only an ordinary participant but also a keynote speaker in ministerial dialogue at the international meeting.

GOVT TO BUILD VARIOUS FACILITIES TO RESTORE PEATLANDS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Jan 25 (Antara) - The government will continue to restore and preserve peatlands through the construction of various facilities such as long storages, canal blocks, artesian wells and irrigation canals.          The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has allocated Rp3 billion for the construction of long storage facility in 2017. The construction of the facility is to protect important places such as airports from the threat of peatland fires.          "In 2017, the PUPR Ministry allocated Rp3 billion to build long storages," Parlinggoman Simanungkalit, of the Natural Resource Research and Development Center of the PUPR Ministry, said recently.           According to Nazir Foead, the head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), the PUPR Ministry is committed to develop the long storage facility, which is meant to store water for use in peatland areas.          The budget for the development of the long storage project is included in the budget for the PUPR ministry, which is coordinated directly by the PUPR minister. Along the long storage area, artificial dams will also be built, so that the area could serve as a tourist destination.          "The project's budget is included in the budget of the PUPR ministry. In the area around the storage project, artificial lakes will also be built, which will serve as tourist spot," Nazir added.

RESTORING DEGRADED PEATLAND

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 24 (Antara) - Indonesia is host to a large forest and peatland area which holds billions of tons of carbon sinks, which, if released, could cause danger to the environment and contribute to the world's greenhouse gas emissions.          The Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) revealed that as per data last year, Indonesia hosts 34 billion tons of peat carbon sinks. In Kalimantan, the world's third largest island, there are 5,769,246 hectares of peat forests with 10.183 billion tons of carbon sinks.          As forest and peatland fires have been taking place every year, extensive peatland areas have undergone degradation and need to be restored.          Therefore, the government has set up a Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) assigned to manage efforts to restore the country's damaged peatland.          The agency is expected this year to restore the function of some 600 thousand hectares of peatland. In order to make its efforts a success, the agency has been advised to adopt the result of a research by Malaysia in restoring degraded peatland, involving a system used to harden peat soil.

GOVT URGED TO END LICENSES FOR PEATLAND EXPLOITATION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Oct 27 (Antara) - Forest and peatland fires have protracted over the past several months and triggered widespread haze in the country and in neighboring nations, namely Singapore and Malaysia.          The haze disaster which is among others caused by peatland fires has become an annual problem during the dry season. Therefore, the government is urged to stop exploiting its peatland.          House Speaker Setya Novanto has said the government must stop issuing licenses for allowing plantations on peatland because these have a dangerous impact during the dry season.          During drought, peatland areas are prone to fires which could cause a haze disaster, he told reporters in Palemang,South Sumatra on Tuesday.          Setya Novanto made the remarks when making a transit halt at Palembang's Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II airport, together with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya and Health Minister Nila F Moeloek , while on a visit to monitor the impact of haze in Jambi province.