APP Signs Partnership to Support Green Development in West Kalimantan

Since 2015, the Governor of West Kalimantan, Drs. Cornelis MH, assumed the responsibility as Coordinator of the Governor’s Climate and Forest (GCF) Task Force Indonesia. GCF is a global sub-national collaboration involving the provincial government from 29 countries, which aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. In support of the GCF Indonesia Task Force, the Governor of West Kalimantan today hosted a public meeting of GCF Indonesia in the Governor’s Office. This event was attended by the Governor of GCF member provinces in Indonesia and also the related stakeholders in West Kalimantan.

During the event the Governor of West Kalimantan signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) and the Belantara Foundation as partners to help strengthen its commitment in sustainable landscape development, further realizing their vision of green growth in West Kalimantan.  This memorandum of understanding is focused on the prevention of forest fires, protection of forests and peat ecosystems, as well as the efforts of improving the well-being of local communities in an effort to reduce the local community’s dependency on forest land.

Programs have been started by APP in the province of West Kalimantan in cooperation with the Belantara Foundation and IDH Sustainable Trade Initiatives, also involving several forest plantation companies on multi-stakeholder-based, responsible landscape management on the production forest in the Kubu-Ketapang landscape. In addition, in an effort to prevent peatland forest fires, APP and its suppliers have built more than 5,000 dams on the perimeter canals around its suppliers’ plantation area in Indonesia.  Of these, 500 dams which were built in West Kalimantan.

In addition to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, APP outlined its support for an initiative by the Governor of West Kalimantan in developing renewable energy using the Kemiri Sunan plant (Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw). Kemiri Sunan crop can be used as biodiesel and is a key part of the Government’s efforts to reduce the dependence of Indonesia against imports of fuel.  This pilot project will take the form of collaboration between West Kalimantan Forestry, APP, Tanjungpura University, and Belantara Foundation. West Kalimantan province has great potential in the cultivation of Kemiri Sunan. At the moment, approximately 5,000 hectares of area in the production forest areas of Landak, Mempawah and Kubu Raya regencies, is planned to be planted with Kemiri Sunan crops. This area will be developed under lisence for special-purpose forest area, managed by the University of Tanjungpura.  It is anticipated that 5,000 hectares of Kemiri Sunan will be able to produce up to 30,000 – 40,000 tons of biodiesel per year.

“Green development that benefits both the environment and the society has always been a goal under our Forest Conservation Policy commitment,” says Aida Greenbury, APP’s Managing Director of Sustainability. “To achieve this, there needs to be a strong cooperation and collaboration between stakeholders. This is the reason we continue to encourage landscape approach management. We are committed to continuing our support and cooperation with the Government of the West Kalimantan province to support the realization of a green and prosperous West Kalimantan Province.”
http://www.asiapulppaper.com/news-media/press-releases/app-signs-partnership-support-green-development-west-Kalimantan

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