Indonesia is expected to be the first nation to carry out forest carbon projects to help combat climate change thanks to a newly launched forest carbon partnership with Australia, a local newspaper reported Tuesday.
Under the partnership agreement signed last week, Australia will help Indonesia develop mechanisms needed to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD).
"With this partnership, we are upbeat and ready to carry out the first REDD demonstration activity, hopefully in August. Australia will help us implement a REDD project in Central Kalimantan forests," Soenaryo, a senior official at the Forestry Ministry was quoted as saying by English-language daily The Jakarta Post.
"This project is vital because the world is watching to see whether or not the REDD concept can be used as a legal mechanism to slash greenhouse gas emissions."
Germany, Britain, Japan, Spain and Norway have also submitted forest partnership proposals to conduct REDD projects with Indonesia, Soenaryo said.
"We will sign a forest partnership with the German government in the near future," he said.
The REDD concept was adopted during the U.N.-sponsored climate change conference in Bali last year where negotiators from 190 countries held intensive talks on cutting carbon emissions, recognized as the main contributor to global warming.
Indonesia is the third-largest forestry country in the world, with 120 million hectares of tropical forests.
Source:Xinhua
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