Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Germany has committed to assisting the Indonesian government in the Forest and Climate Change program (ForClime).

The ForClime program will be carried through two cooperation moduls, namely Technical Cooperation (TC) via GIZ with funds worth 6.75 million Euro and Financial Cooperation (FC) through KfW worth 20 million Euro, the forestry ministry said here Thursday in a press statement.

The program has a target to decrease the CO2 emission rate from deforestation and forest degradation by 300 to 400 thousand tons during a seven-year period.

The assistance was provided as the result of the bilateral negotiation held in October 2007.

The ForClime program launching was marked by "ForClime FC-Module National Kick-off Workshop".

The program`s demonstration activities on REDD+ (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) is implemented in three districts on Kalimantan Island, namely Kapuas Hulu, Malinau and Berau.

The objective of the program is to cut the greenhouse gas emission from the forestry sector and to improve the living condition of the rural people.

The gas emission rate will be reduced by addressing the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation occurring the conserved forests, protected forests and production forests.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recently signed a Presidential Instruction on deforestation moratorium to help curb the climate change impacts and preserve the remaining tropical forests and biodiversity in it.

The presidential decree on a moratorium on logging concessions for two years was only applicable to primary forests and peat lands in conserved forests, protected forests, production forests and the Other Use Land (APL).

Indonesia hosts the world`s third largest forest area after Brazil and Congo (formerly Zaire). Based on forestry ministry 2010 data, Indonesia has around 130 million hectares of forests, including 64.2 million hectares of primary forests, and 24.5 million hectares of peat lands.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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