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ANJUNG REDEB: Berau regency strengthens its commitment to supporting emissions reduction both at national and international levels by establishing a Berau Forest Carbon Program strategic plan and a special committee that will direct the implementation of the program.

“It is an important momentum. By establishing the strategic plan and the special committee, Berau becomes the first regency ready to implement a district-wide based REDD plus program in Indonesia,” said Berau Regent H. Makmur HPAK on Thursday.

He said that the Berau Forest Carbon Program offered an opportunity to show how a district wide based REDD plus program could be implemented. The district-wide based implementation of the program can provide lessons on the implementation of REDD plus both at national and global levels.

The Berau Forest Carbon Program is the first district-wide based pilot project of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) plus program. Under the program, Berau creates a low carbon development model based on sustainable management of natural resources.

The Berau project is a REDD plus pilot project in Indonesia launched by Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan on Jan. 6, 2010, in Jakarta. The project is a partnership between the Berau regency administration, East Kalimantan provincial government, Forestry Ministry, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and other NGOs and donor agencies. — JP