Europe states help preserve peat lands

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