Yudhoyono said that he, firstly, made a measure that could help reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses by 26 percent. He said that if other countries gave their support, emissions of such gasses could be reduced by 41 percent.

'€œSecondly, we protected 63 million hectares of our natural forests and peat lands by having implemented a moratorium of forest conversion to stop deforestation. We also concluded a cooperation agreement with Norway on forest management,'€ he said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Yudhoyono, who will leave the State Palace on Oct. 20, said he also concluded cooperation agreements to protect forests with many non-state actors, ranging from local people, non-governmental organizations and private companies.

He said that he created a task force whose responsibility was to ensure that the three measures previously mentioned ran on the right track.

As the chairperson of the meeting on forestry, Yudhoyono conveyed his experience in protecting forests and preserving nature in the country in the chamber of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in the United Nations Conference Building.

Before he went to New York, thick fog that allegedly originated from forest fires covered Pekanbaru, Riau on Sept. 13, causing low visibility and pollution. According to the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) report, the level of pollution had reached 70.

On Sept. 15, thick haze, allegedly caused by land fires, covered Sampit in East Kotawaringin regency, Central Kalimantan. Locals had reportedly been using face masks since the morning to avoid inhaling the smoke. Local police said the haze came from illegal land fires. (alz)

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