ASEAN, Australia sign fire MoI

ASEAN, Australia sign fire MoI

JAKARTA (JP): The ASEAN Secretariat and Australia have signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoI) to support the joint
implementation of a field training exercise aimed at the
prevention and control of forest fires and haze in West
Kalimantan.

The secretariat said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post
on Friday that the field training exercise is designed to assist
local government officers and the community to develop a
comprehensive action plan for forest fire management. The joint
initiative aims at monitoring forest fires in West Kalimantan,
and preventing them from getting out of control like between 1997
to 1999.

Under the agreement, Australia will extend a grant of
US$173,000 to the ASEAN secretariat.

Indonesia's Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedal)
will implement the monitoring and prevention components and the
Ministry of Forestry will develop the mitigation component. The
ASEAN secretariat will serve as the project coordinator.