Jakarta Globe – AFP, Oct 04, 2014
The United
States has struck a deal to reduce Indonesia’s debts in exchange for Jakarta
pledging about $12 million for programs to protect endangered species and their
habitats on Sumatra island, conservationists said Friday.
The move
adds to a similar agreement in 2009, under which the Indonesian government
pledged $30 million for increased protection of Sumatra’s forests, said NGO
Conservation International, which helped broker the deal.
The
agreement, which was inked this week, will provide additional funds for
environmental groups to improve programmes aimed at protecting the Sumatran
low-land rainforests as well as efforts to increase populations of threatened
animals.
The forests
of Sumatra, a huge island in western Indonesia, are one of the most biodiverse
places on the planet and are home to critically endangered Sumatran rhinos and
tigers.
“The
debt-for-nature swap will benefit critical ecosystems in Sumatra through
increasing conservation efforts,” Conservation International said in a
statement.
“The United
States is proud to partner with the government of Indonesia and the NGO sector
to help protect and preserve the diverse wildlife that exists on Sumatra,” said
Kristen Bauer, charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Jakarta.
Under the
agreement, the Indonesian government will pay about $12 million over seven
years into a trust that will issue grants for the conservation efforts,
Conservation International said.
The US
government contributed most of the money for the debt swap, while Conservation
International also gave some.
Agence France-Presse
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