Europe states help preserve peat lands

JAMBI, Jambi: The Netherlands and Germany will disburse soft loan worth millions of Euro to Indonesia next year, as part of European efforts to preserve peat lands in the country, a non- governmental organization (NGO) activist said on Tuesday.

The loan will be used for financing reforestation programs in some 2.2 millions hectares of peat land that have been burned out since 1997.

Spokesman for Wetlands International, Marcel Silvius, said that the Netherlands and Germany will provide 5 million euro (US$6.7) and 75 million euro respectively.

Indonesia has the biggest peat lands in the world. Half the world's peat lands are located here. -- JP