samsul ulum
Tropical Forest Trust
wildlife specialist
kaliwungu city, kendal, central java
www.tropicalforesttrust.com
--- On
Press Release
SWAPPING DEBT, CONSERVING SUMATRA TROPICAL RAINFOREST
Yayasan KEHATI Indonesia and Conservation International Participating in Debt
of Nature Swap
Jakarta. June 30, 2009. The earth needs the Indonesian tropical forest cover
intact to maintain its climate balance. The responsibility to save the forest
lies not only in Indonesian hands, but also in the hands of developed countries
as the largest contributors of pollution. One way to show their responsibility
is through a mechanism that forgives Indonesian debt to support the
preservation of its nature (DNS).
To show their commitment, the U.S. government has agreed to erase some of
Indonesia’s debt, for an amount of almost US$30 million in eight years. The
uniqueness of this debt cancellation is the involvement of NGOs, i.e. that
almost US$2 million of the debt is “bought” by two local and international
NGOs, KEHATI Foundation and the Conservation International.
“The participation of KEHATI shows our commitment in conserving biodiversity in
Indonesia,” says Damayanti Buchori, Ph.D, The Executive Director of Yayasan
KEHATI Indonesia. “We appreciate the efforts of all parties, which make it
possible to return the fund, which should have been paid to the U.S. Government
as payment for Indonesian debt, back to this country and to designate it to
preserve biodiversity, particularly in Sumatra Island”.
Efforts to win DNS in Indonesia have been initiated since 1990. DNS is employed
to obtain debt forgiveness, by redirecting the debt payment for the
preservation of Indonesia’s forests and biodiversity. There have been other DNS
agreements, such as DNS with Germany, which uses a different payment mechanism.
DNS with the US government is made possible by
policies under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA), which was approved
by the Congress in 1998 as a mechanism to reduce foreign debts of developing
countries with rich natural resources. The Indonesian government seized this
chance to erase its debts and preserve nature at the same time.
“With this program, CI continues last year’s CEPF (Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund) program in the same location, Sumatra Island, considering
that the Sumatran forest is in critical condition,” says Jatna Supriatna Ph.D.,
the Regional Vice President for Conservation International Indonesia. Jatna
continues, “We really hope that this mechanism can become an example for other
countries to bear its responsibility in conserving the world's tropical
forests.”
CI has been involved in DNS since 1987 in Bolivia, and its experiences has a
positive contribution in DNS implementation in Indonesia. It has been agreed
that DNS program in
Indonesia will conserve Sumatran tropical rain forest, which is home to
several key species, such as Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), Sumatran
rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) , Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus)
and Sumatran tiger (Phantera tigris sumatrae).
The DNS program is a good solution for debtor countries and donor countries.
More than US$30 million or equal to Rp300 billion will still be spent in
Indonesia, but they will be used for conservation measures instead of going to
developed countries.
DNS is a challenge for the Indonesian government to show that the debt
cancellation can truly be beneficial in saving Indonesian forests and
biodiversity. It is also hoped that the program will significantly help build
the trust of donor countries that the Indonesian government is capable of
managing its natural resources sustainably in order to reduce poverty and help
maintain the world's climate stability.
Indonesian KEHATI Foundation is entrusted with the management of the debt
swap, with its partners who are involved in saving the Sumatran forest.
For further information, please contact
Diah R. Sulistiowati
Yayasan Keanekaragaman Hayati-KEHATI
su...@kehati. or.id
Fakhruddin Mangunjaya
Conservation International Indonesia
fmangunjaya@ conservation. org
……..
Yayasan Keanekaragaman Hayati Indonesia (KEHATI)—founded on January 12, 1994,
by Prof. Emil Salim et al.—is a nonprofit, independent financier institution
that aims to provide resources support and facilitate conservation and
sustainable biodiversity utilization activities in Indonesia.
KEHATI foundation maintains its reputation as an institution that collects and
distributes resources that play a key role in the mobilization of support fund,
expertise, facilities, and services needed to support various activities
related to conservation and
sustainable utilization of Indonesian biodiversity. For more information visit
www.kehati.or. id
Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics,
policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of
plant and animal diversity and demonstrate that human societies can live
harmoniously with nature. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 40 countries
on four continents to help people find economic alternatives without harming
their natural environments. For more information about CI, visit
www.conservation. org. or www.conservation. or.id
