Fortech to help RI manage forest projects
JAKARTA (JP): Australia's Forestry Technical Services (Fortech) will give Indonesia environmentally-safe technical assistance in managing its forestry projects.
Fortech's director Philip J. Montgomery said yesterday his company was discussing assistance priorities and options with the Indonesian government.
"I hope we will reach an agreement by this afternoon with the State Ministry for Environmental Affairs, to develop a priority for one or two forestry projects in the country," Montgomery told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the Indonesia-Australia Workshop on Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ).
He declined to say which projects would be developed.
AIJ is an international pilot program for cooperative opportunities between countries to reduce, avoid or sequester greenhouse gas emissions.
It is an implementation of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Joint implementation is expected to allow parties to meet their future greenhouse commitments in a more efficient and cost- effective manner than if they acted alone.
The AIJ pilot program is expected to evolve into a regime where investing companies and countries can claim credit for greenhouse gas abatement.
Montgomery said that Fortech, a major forestry consulting company in Australia, was involved in industrial forestry plantations in Indonesia in the past.
"The forestry sector in Indonesia is really big and has much to offer, and we want to give a whole understanding of the value of managing a sustainable industrial forestry because it is a major way to reduce the greenhouse gas emission," he said.
"This can get the attention of the international community and bring funding to forestry project here, which also needs financial assistance," he said.
Montgomery said aspects of Fortech's plan included reduced- impact logging in the area of reforestation, reforestation of grassland, improved industrial forestry plantation management and mangrove conservation and rehabilitation.
He said it would take about three years to four years to research and develop the project.
The forestry ministry plans to establish 1.25 million hectares of industrial forest plantations in the sixth Five Year Development Plan which covers the period 1993 to 1998.
The total land area is targeted to be divided into 500,000 hectares for pulp, 300,000 hectares for transmigration forestry and 450,000 hectares for construction wood.
The two-day workshop involved government and business representatives and the energy, mining, transportation and agriculture sectors. (das)