WB approves $19m park loan

WB approves $19m park loan

JAKARTA: The World Bank has approved a US$19.1 million loan to
support the Indonesian government's effort to preserve the
Kerinci Seblat national park in Sumatra.

Indonesia needs about $46 million to protect the national park
from agricultural encroachment, mining, poaching and to promote
sustainable development of forest cover in the buffer zones
bordering the park.

The bank's representative office in Jakarta said yesterday the
project will consist of park management, area development and
integrating biodiversity in forest concession management.

The 1.3-million-hectare Kerinci Seblat, which stretches over
four provinces in Sumatra, is internationally recognized as one
of the most important conservation projects in Southeast Asia.

It is home to a wide range of wildlife, including species-rich
lowland forests, montane forests and subalpine plants on the
island's highest mountain.

Many of the protected species in the park are poorly
represented and nonexistent in other conservation areas in
Sumatra and elsewhere in Asia. (pan)