POLICY
JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has pointed out that the additional task of accelerating mangrove rehabilitation, alongside peat restoration efforts, reflects a new level of commitment from President Joko Widodo in restoring two of the largest sources of carbon stocks in the country.
Minister Nurbaya said that this new move by President Widodo is a testament to his specific concerns as he remains wholly committed to peat restoration, now in parallel to speeding up mangrove rehabilitation.
This legal measure aimed at achieving these twin goals, among others, was initiated by the President's changing of the name of the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) to the Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM), announced during the President's appointment of Hartono Prawiraatmadja as the new chief of the BRGM at the State Palace (Dec 23).
“While the peatland restoration agenda continues, it should also be noted that Indonesia is still one of the largest countries in the world with tropical forested peatlands," Minister Nurbaya told FORESTHiNTS.NEWS in a written communication (Dec 23).
She also emphasized that while efforts are currently underway to accelerate mangrove rehabilitation in a number of provinces over an area of more than 600 thousand hectares - larger than 8 times the size of Singapore - Indonesia also retains primary and secondary mangrove forests spread across the country.
“As part of Indonesia's efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), primary and secondary peatland and mangrove forests are classes of natural forest and land cover that continue to play a significant role in attaining these goals," she explained.
The photos below show examples of mangrove forests which not only have a set of ecologically significant functions, but are also a source of the highest level of carbon stocks. The acceleration of the rehabilitation of degraded mangroves is now among President Widodo's top priorities.
According to the minister, the acceleration of mangrove rehabilitation involving, specifically, seeding, planting and maintenance, is a community-based activity.
“I will continue to ensure that the acceleration of the rehabilitation of degraded mangroves is carried out scientifically, receives technological interventions, and is based on green investment," she explained.
Major priorities
Considering that 79% of Indonesia's top priority programs are linked to her ministry, Minister Nurbaya stressed that during the ongoing pandemic, all efforts focused on supporting economic growth to prevent an even deeper recession include the parallel prioritization of environmental recovery efforts.
“The creation of new employment opportunities at the grassroots level is a huge priority in these difficult times, including continuing to provide relevant incentives to prop up the business sector so as to avoid lay-offs as much as possible," she said.
“Accelerating mangrove rehabilitation during the pandemic is essentially an effort on the part of President Widodo to create new job opportunities at the community level while restoring degraded mangroves," she elaborated.
Minister Nurbaya cautioned that the global pandemic is still ongoing, and that the country remains in recession and facing tough times, and as such President Widodo’s commitments and efforts are consistently aimed at adding new job opportunities while enhancing the level of public consumption.
“We are aware, as the President always reminds us, that state budget absorption is the most important priority in this pandemic so that the funds channeled to the public will continue to increase. BRGM should also pay attention to this. It should always be remembered that the motivation is acceleration,” she added.
The main task for all of us, she continued, is to continue to reduce the negative level of economic growth so that Indonesia can get out of the current recession as quickly as possible and move back into positive GDP growth territory again next year.
Concluding her communication with FORESTHINTS.NEWS, Minister Nurbaya reiterated that given her ministry’s involvement in up to 79% of the country's top priority programs, the creation of new job opportunities oriented towards community-based forestry and environmental recovery programs, as well as ensuring the continuing survival of the business sector, are among her key efforts at the moment.
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POLICY
JAKARTA (FORESTHINTS.NEWS) - Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya has pointed out that the additional task of accelerating mangrove rehabilitation, alongside peat restoration efforts, reflects a new level of commitment from President Joko Widodo in restoring two of the largest sources of carbon stocks in the country.
Minister Nurbaya said that this new move by President Widodo is a testament to his specific concerns as he remains wholly committed to peat restoration, now in parallel to speeding up mangrove rehabilitation.
This legal measure aimed at achieving these twin goals, among others, was initiated by the President's changing of the name of the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) to the Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM), announced during the President's appointment of Hartono Prawiraatmadja as the new chief of the BRGM at the State Palace (Dec 23).
“While the peatland restoration agenda continues, it should also be noted that Indonesia is still one of the largest countries in the world with tropical forested peatlands," Minister Nurbaya told FORESTHiNTS.NEWS in a written communication (Dec 23).
She also emphasized that while efforts are currently underway to accelerate mangrove rehabilitation in a number of provinces over an area of more than 600 thousand hectares - larger than 8 times the size of Singapore - Indonesia also retains primary and secondary mangrove forests spread across the country.
“As part of Indonesia's efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), primary and secondary peatland and mangrove forests are classes of natural forest and land cover that continue to play a significant role in attaining these goals," she explained.
The photos below show examples of mangrove forests which not only have a set of ecologically significant functions, but are also a source of the highest level of carbon stocks. The acceleration of the rehabilitation of degraded mangroves is now among President Widodo's top priorities.
According to the minister, the acceleration of mangrove rehabilitation involving, specifically, seeding, planting and maintenance, is a community-based activity.
“I will continue to ensure that the acceleration of the rehabilitation of degraded mangroves is carried out scientifically, receives technological interventions, and is based on green investment," she explained.
Major priorities
Considering that 79% of Indonesia's top priority programs are linked to her ministry, Minister Nurbaya stressed that during the ongoing pandemic, all efforts focused on supporting economic growth to prevent an even deeper recession include the parallel prioritization of environmental recovery efforts.
“The creation of new employment opportunities at the grassroots level is a huge priority in these difficult times, including continuing to provide relevant incentives to prop up the business sector so as to avoid lay-offs as much as possible," she said.
“Accelerating mangrove rehabilitation during the pandemic is essentially an effort on the part of President Widodo to create new job opportunities at the community level while restoring degraded mangroves," she elaborated.
Minister Nurbaya cautioned that the global pandemic is still ongoing, and that the country remains in recession and facing tough times, and as such President Widodo’s commitments and efforts are consistently aimed at adding new job opportunities while enhancing the level of public consumption.
“We are aware, as the President always reminds us, that state budget absorption is the most important priority in this pandemic so that the funds channeled to the public will continue to increase. BRGM should also pay attention to this. It should always be remembered that the motivation is acceleration,” she added.
The main task for all of us, she continued, is to continue to reduce the negative level of economic growth so that Indonesia can get out of the current recession as quickly as possible and move back into positive GDP growth territory again next year.
Concluding her communication with FORESTHINTS.NEWS, Minister Nurbaya reiterated that given her ministry’s involvement in up to 79% of the country's top priority programs, the creation of new job opportunities oriented towards community-based forestry and environmental recovery programs, as well as ensuring the continuing survival of the business sector, are among her key efforts at the moment.
RELATED STORIES
