The Australian Government will commit AU$10 million to support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and promote sustainable forest management in Indonesia.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull, announced the initiative at a High Level Meeting on Forests and Climate being held in Sydney today.
The funding is being provided from the Australian Government's $200 million Global Initiative on Forests and Climate.
'Indonesia is a key partner in the Global Initiative on Forests and Climate,' Mr Downer said.
'This package will help Indonesia develop pilot projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of reducing deforestation; improve local forestry governance; and prevent, monitor and suppress peatland fires, including by training Indonesia's fire fighters and fire management.
'It will also support Indonesia's move to develop a forest monitoring and assessment system to generate better forest sector data.'
Peat lands are made up of undecomposed plant materials and store large quantities of carbon. As a result, fires in peat lands release large amounts of greenhouse gases.
'Australia's assistance will help Indonesian communities reduce forest destruction and encourage sustainable use of forests,' Minister Turnbull said.
'This commitment represents a major step forward in helping Indonesia and other countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation.
'The Global Initiative on Forests and Climate provides a framework through which Australia and partner countries can share their experiences and technology, as part of global efforts to reduce deforestation.
'Global deforestation is a serious issue that impacts climate change, local economies, and the environment. Every day, more than 70,000 football fields of forest are removed globally - this is around 1.6 billion trees each year.
'This is a situation we can and must reverse quickly and this Initiative will help us do so.'
The High Level Meeting on Forests and Climate is bringing together senior government officials and Ministers from more than 65 countries, along with several hundred delegates that includes representatives from international, environmental and business organisations.