Forestry Ministry prioritises Sumatra forest conservation in Leverage Project

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) is prioritising forest conservation in Sumatra through the “Law Enforcement for Sustainable Viable Ecosystems and Biodiversity Resilience through Multi-Sectors Engagement” (Leverage) project in collaboration with the UNDP. Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement at Kemenhut, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, said in Jakarta on Wednesday, “We are developing three things: a vulnerability map, a disturbance map, and an intervention map. This is what we must develop in forestry governance, namely the extent of vulnerability of a high-conservation-value area, particularly in Sumatra.” Dwi added that in the Leverage Project, from a funding context, the government is focusing on priority scales with high conservation value and high levels of vulnerability. After the Sumatra region, the Leverage Project will continue to be expanded to other areas granted priority status for forest conservation through various cooperation schemes. “The selection of Sumatra also considers the disturbance map. If we talk about various incidents that occur, many are in Sumatra. This is also our concern,” he said. Dwi added that the Leverage Project also focuses on an intervention map, which serves as a basis for the extent to which the government and relevant parties handle incidents of hunting, wildlife killing, and activities involving protected wild animals. “All of that will be evaluated to see the pattern of intervention, because the modus operandi continues to evolve. We are trying to explore it from various aspects to carry out prevention and protection so we can be more protective and adequate,” he explained. The Leverage Project runs for six years with a value of 14.4 million US dollars. Sumatra serves as the pilot location or project site because the government and relevant stakeholders want to see the implementation, the lessons learned, and how it can be replicated. “So the learning comes from the site in Sumatra, but the implementation and handling are not only there, they can also be applied in other regions. So, other places also remain our targets with various parties. We continue to discuss and execute these activities,” said Dwi.