Indonesia moves to protect primary forests, peatland
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has issued a permanent moratorium on new forest clearance for activities such as palm plantations or logging, according to Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar.
A helicopter sprays water on a burning forest near Dumai in Riau province, Indonesia, April 5, 2018. (Source:Antara)
Hanoi (VNA) - IndonesianPresident Joko Widodo has issued a permanent moratorium on new forest clearancefor activities such as palm plantations or logging, according to EnvironmentMinister Siti Nurbaya Bakar.
The moratorium, which covers around 66 million hectares of primary forest andpeatland, was applied in 2011 and has been renewed regularly as part of thecountry’s efforts to reduce emissions from fires caused by deforestation.
Under the decision, ministers, governors and other officials were asked tostop issuing new permits for forestclearance activities in within the moratorium area.
The moratorium decision comes after local authoritiesdeclared an emergency in six provinces on the islands of Sumatra and Borneowhere smoke from outbreaks of forest fires have started causing acuterespiratory infections.
According to Greenpeace, Indonesia has had one of the highestrates of deforestation in the world, with more than 74 million hectares ofrainforest – an area nearly twice the size of Japan – logged, burned or degradedin the last half century.-VNA
The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu (GSK-BB), a peatland areas in Sumatra, as one of the world’s 22 new biosphere reserves, according to local media.
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Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Istvan Jakab expressed his hope for further deepening Hungary’s ties with ASEAN countries and called for their support for Hungary’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
The 30-storey tower crumbled seconds after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Myanmar on March 28. The partially built high-rise, meant to house the State Audit Office (SAO), was the only building in Thailand to collapse, killing 89 people on the site, mostly construction workers.
Indonesia’s waste generation is projected to exceed 50 million tonnes in 2025. Of the total, more than 20 million tonnes could potentially enter the ocean through rivers, coastal areas, small islands, ports, and marine activities, and thereby, pose a risk to coastal ecosystems and marine biota.
Indonesia is accelerating plans to increase lithium imports, particularly from Australia, in a bid to fill gaps in the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain and realise its ambition of becoming a global EV manufacturing hub.
A helicopter sprays water on a burning forest near Dumai in Riau province, Indonesia, April 5, 2018. (Source:Antara) 
