U.S. Charge d’Affaires, Brian McFeeters and Special Advisor to Minister of the Environment and Forestry, Agus Justianto, launched two new initiatives to improve natural resource management in Central Kalimantan: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) LESTARI, the flagship forestry management program that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase biodiversity conservation; and the Sister Protected Areas Partnership, a USAID funded partnership between the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), Indonesia’s Ministry of the Environment and Forestry, and the Sebangau and Tanjung Puting National Parks.

Unsustainable use of forests and peatlands has impacts far beyond the loss of wildlife habitat and clean water sources. The land-fire crisis in September and October 2015 highlighted the immense challenges that must be addressed in order to solve this problem. 

“According to the World Bank, last year’s fires cost Indonesia IDR 221 trillion in just 5 months, or twice the reconstruction costs of the Aceh tsunami” said McFeeters. “The fires have a terrible impact on the health of Indonesians, but they also hurt the economy and slow Indonesia’s economic growth.”

“It’s a complex problem, but by addressing some of the root causes we hope to help Indonesia manage these valuable peatlands sustainably to prevent this from happening again.” he added.

Minister of the Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, in her opening remarks said, “Through these partnerships, I hope that we will be able to protect peatland areas here in Central Kalimantan, home to 20 percent of Indonesia’s orangutans, while at the same time protecting local livelihoods.”

The Sister Protected Area partnership is part of the five-year Strengthening Indonesia’s National Parks and Wildlife Protection project implemented by the Department of Interior and funded by the U. S. Agency for International Development. Since its initiation five years ago, the Department of Interior has trained 72 Indonesian park managers, and completed three natural resource assessments. Teams from Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia and Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida have teamed up to work with the sites in Kalimantan because they share similar wetland ecosystems and common management challenges.