Best of our wild blogs: 12 May 17

Pasir Ris five months after the oil spill
wild shores of singapore

Singapore rocks!
News from Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Singapore Bird Report- April 2017: Part 1 Winter Visitors
Singapore Bird Group

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36 new plots of farm land with 20-year leases to be open for tender

The plots, spanning 60 hectares, are located in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah, and farmers who can adopt technology to optimise production will have an edge.
Afifah Ariffin Channel NewsAsia 11 May 17;

SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has set aside about 60 hectares of new agricultural land for food farming in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah, it announced on Thursday (May 11).

The land, which is divided into 36 plots, will be put up for tender in tranches from August this year. They will be tendered on 20-year leases instead of the previous 10-year blocks, as promised by AVA in 2016, to provide "more certainty" to farms and encourage them to invest in technologies.

The first tranche up for tender this August covers 12 plots of land which are meant for leafy vegetable farming, said AVA, while another three plots of land for fish farming will be slated for tender in October.

In the second quarter of next year, seven plots for vegetables, quail's eggs and general food farming will be open for tender. The remaining 14 plots, for leafy vegetables, bean sprouts and general agriculture farming, will be available from 2019 onwards.

General agriculture could involve frog, goat or cattle farming, according to AVA.

NEW METHODS USED TO TENDER LAND PLOTS

AVA said the new plots of land will be tendered using new methods. For leafy vegetables, food fish, beansprouts and quail egg farming, a fixed price tender method will be used.

Under this method, the land price will be fixed and those who make bids will compete purely on the tender proposals submitted.

For general agriculture farming, a concept and price tender method will be employed. Those who meet the evaluation criteria will be shortlisted, and the tender will be awarded to the shortlisted ones with the highest land price, according to AVA.

"Emphasis will be placed on the quality of proposals. This means that farmers will compete based on the best concepts proposed, with a focus on productivity gains rather than on land price alone," AVA said.

The criteria used to assess the tender proposals will involve:

- Production capability - ability to achieve high production levels
- Production track record - ability to achieve projected production levels based on past performance
- Relevant experience and qualification - ability to deliver results
- Innovation and sustainability - ability to use innovation to improve and sustain production, and maintain business viability

This means farmers with good production records and ideas that can optimise production and manpower will stand a good chance of winning the new plots.

“Those planning to participate in the upcoming tenders must seize the opportunity to adopt innovative agri-technologies to maximise land and labour productivity,” said AVA CEO Tan Poh Hong.

“We have been engaging farmers to help them overcome the challenges of adopting technologies. I am glad that many farmers recognise that technology is critical to the future of farming,” she added.

To help farmers be familiar with putting up tender proposals based on concepts, AVA said it would conduct advisory sessions on the drafting these proposals before the launch of every tender.

In a blog post on Tuesday, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong had encouraged local farmers to take up plots of agricultural land which will be set aside to promote high-tech farming, adding that the Government will do more to help farmers adopt new technology.



Land for farms up for tender, a first in decades
RUMI HARDASMALANI Today Online 12 May 17;

SINGAPORE — The Government will tender out new plots of agricultural land spanning 60ha from August, for the first time in decades.

Comprising 36 plots in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah, the new agricultural land parcels for food farming will be tendered on 20-year leases, announced the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) yesterday. The tendering for land for non-food farms will be announced at a later date.

Encouraging local farmers to take up plots of agricultural land which will be set aside to promote high-tech farming, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said in a blog post on Tuesday that the Government would do more to help farmers adopt new technology.

“A modern agricultural sector will continue to play a key role in Singapore’s future, even as our economy evolves and our society becomes more urbanised,” Mr Wong said in his post.

The food-farm tendering process will be rolled out in tranches, with the first starting in August for 12 plots set aside for leafy-vegetable farming. The second tranche comprising three food-fish farming plots will open in October this year. A further seven plots for leafy vegetable, quail egg and general agriculture food farming will be released in the third tranche during the second quarter of next year. From 2019 onwards, 14 plots for leafy vegetables, bean sprouts and general agriculture food farming will be tendered in subsequent tranches.

In June last year, the AVA extended the leases for the 62 farms in Lim Chu Kang that have to make way for redevelopment. The tenures for the farms will now expire at the end of 2019, instead of June this year. The farms are making way for the Ministry of Defence. The AVA also announced last year that new agricultural land tendered would be based on 20-year leases instead of the current 10 years, to provide more certainty and enable investment in better technologies.

“Allotting far-flung areas for agricultural use is obvious as land in Singapore competes for best use,” said R’ST Research director Ong Kah Seng. “We are moving up the value chain across sectors, and agriculture will also have to adopt modern techniques to do so.”

In a new fixed-price tender method, the farmers will compete based on the best proposed concepts with a focus on productivity gains. The land price will be fixed based on market value as evaluated by the chief valuer, the AVA said. For general agricultural food farming, the concept and price method will shortlist bids meeting the evaluation criteria before awarding the highest-price bidder.

In response to farmers’ concerns over foreign players winning the bids, the AVA will look at matching the capabilities of local and foreign farmers to have them jointly bid for land. The idea is to optimally utilise Singapore’s precious land resources, said AVA chief executive officer Tan Poh Hong.

According to Mr Desmond Sim, head of CBRE Research for Singapore and South-east Asia, the locations selected tie in with farming land that was long associated with this locality. “This is not surprising given the finite land available as well as the labour crunch.” Rumi Hardasmalani



Costs, tight timeline among farmers' concerns over tender
TOH EE MING Today Online 12 May 17;

SINGAPORE — For the last two years, food producers such as Mr Eric Ng have been going back to the drawing board to see how to expand their facilities and go high-tech or fully automated in their operations.

Mr Ng, who is chief executive officer of Apollo Aquaculture Group, has been looking at extending his three-tiered vertical fish farm to six-tiers.

He is also ambitious in his goal, looking to raise 110 tonnes of fish production to more than 4,000 tonnes yearly.

Now, his plans can finally be set in motion, following an announcement on Thursday (May 11) by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).

The authority said that new agricultural land for food farming would be up for tender from August this year, with 36 plots of farmland in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah to be tendered on 20-year leases.

However, the entire process might be “a bit of a rush”, Mr Ng said, taking into consideration the work involved in filing a tender proposal, waiting for approval, and relocating everything to the new site.

Building new facilities might also set him back S$40 million, he estimated. “It’s been a long wait for the entire industry, and everybody is anxious … We’re just worried about having enough time to (get everything settled) in time for the deadline,” he added, referring to the uncertainty faced by some 62 farms in the Lim Chu Kang area when their tenures expire by end-2019.

Another producer eager to jump on the technology bandwagon is Mr Desmond Khoo, chief executive officer of Eden Garden Farm.

He recently visited China to see how high-tech farms are run, and said that new land could offer him the chance to invest in new technologies for his vegetable farm, such as putting more resources into vertical farming, automatic sprinklers, and online monitoring systems.

“Even though the plots of land offered (by the AVA) are smaller, it is okay as long as we embrace technology,” he added.

Some other food production firms are still uncertain about the future, telling TODAY they need more time to mull over business plans.

Mr Jack Ng, founder of Sky Greens, is waiting for more information from the authorities, such as the requirements needed for proposals.

The land-tender methods now focus on farmers competing on best concepts proposed, such as how productive the business will be.

Mr Ng said that this change might offer a chance for companies to change their “traditional mindsets” and usher in new ways of farming for the younger generation.

He suggested that government agencies could look into creating a centralised water-treatment and waste-processing plant in the new areas up for tender, to help cut costs and to ensure that “farmers can just concentrate on production”.

Ms Chelsea Wan, director of Jurong Frog Farm, is concerned that her family-owned facility could face competition from new entrants or land bidders.

She said that the AVA has tried to make the process easier, but there would still be “hefty costs” involved in redeveloping the whole business, and wondered if there could be more funding, or a low-interest loan to help farmers make the switch.

It would be a pity if “serious, veteran farmers” have to fold their operations, she added. “You won’t get another generation of (such) farmers.”

Mr Kenny Eng, president of the Kranji Countryside Association, which promotes homegrown agriculture and food security agreed.

He said that with the tender, more traditional farmers — the country’s “key growers” — are forced to “re-compete again in the arena”.

“The (new) entrants may have fresh ideas … but farmers who have been producing faithfully not only have to worry about the everyday problems (such as meeting) production levels … they now have to write a paper to compete in the open market.”

The rich heritage and educational value of longstanding farms should not be lost with the emphasis on productivity, he added.

“Does Singapore want the existing growers to be there, or just for a person to sell systems? To shift a farm, it’s not just shifting the assets, but shifting a whole livelihood… I just hope this exercise is looked at seriously and with deep thought and strategy, because any mistake... (would mean we) lose our existing growers, and there (will be) no such community anymore.”


AVA to tender out 60ha of farm land
36 plots in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah to be released on 20-year leases to boost local share in food supply
NG JUN SEN, THE STRAITS TIMES The New Paper 12 May 17;

For the first time in more than two decades, the Government is releasing land for new farms so that local sources can help provide a bigger share of Singaporeans' food supply.

Starting August, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) will tender out 36 new plots of farm land in Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Tengah on 20-year leases.

They span a total of 60ha of land, the equivalent of 60 football fields.

But the new plots will not offset the loss in farmland in end 2019. Then, the leases of 62 local farms in Lim Chu Kang and Kranji will run out and the land will be used by the military.

AVA's hope, though, is that use of high-technology farming in the new plots can boost productivity and yield.

Experienced farmers with good track records and who are willing to adopt high-tech farming methods will stand a good chance of winning the bids, AVA said in a media briefing yesterday.

"It is not simply for the sake of using a lot of high-end technology... but about how the farmers harness that technology," said AVA chief executive officer Tan Poh Hong.

She pointed to existing modern farming methods used by Seng Choon Farm and Kok Fah Technology Farm.

Kok Fah, for example, reduced its manpower needs by 30 per cent through the use of automated seed sowing, irrigation and vegetable packing.

The Government wants to step up Singapore's food security within the constraints of limited land.

National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday that local farmers supplying vegetables, fish and eggs provide a buffer against overseas supply disruptions.

The target is to have more food produced locally - 30 per cent for eggs, 15 per cent for fish and 10 per cent for leafy vegetables, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Koh Poh Koon in March.

Last year, local farms managed to produce only around 24 and 10 per cent of eggs and fish consumed here but managed to exceed the target for vegetables. "Given our limited space, we will not be able to produce all the food we need," wrote Mr Wong in a blog post.

Currently, less than 1 per cent of land here is marked for farm use. There are a total of 358 licensed farms here, of which 212 are food farms.

AVA held three briefing sessions with 185 farmers at its Jurong East headquarters yesterday. It will also conduct advisory sessions before each tender launch.

But reactions among the farmers were mixed.

Not all were keen about the new tenders, citing difficulties in financing the move or the cost of the new technology.

Quail egg farmer William Ho, 51, of Lian Wah Hang Quail Farm, said those who will not make the cut are likely to be the older ones, who do not have the capital to reinvest in another 20-year farming career.

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'Huge quantities' of birds, cockles, pomfret released into the wild: ACRES

Channel NewsAsia 11 May 17;

SINGAPORE: Following a tip-off, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) has found that large quantities of animals were recently released into the wild, a practice which harms the ecosystem.

Specifically, ACRES said that munia birds - as many as 200 at a time - about eight tonnes of cockles, one tonne of pomfret, as well as frogs and crabs were released.

These are "shocking observations," said ACRES in a Facebook post on Tuesday (May 9), adding that it is "extremely concerned on how such huge quantities of live animals can be obtained and how these release operations are conducted openly with a significant number of attendees."

The post on Tuesday came a day ahead of Vesak Day, when some Buddhist devotees release animals as a gesture of kindness and compassion.

However, ACRES said not only does such a practice result in the death of the released animals, it is also detrimental to the environment.

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"Apart from compromising the welfare of the surviving animals, the impact to the ecosystem can be highly detrimental, while releasing (abandoning) animals purchased as pets is illegal," it said.

The animal welfare society added that its findings have been handed to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) for further investigations.

AVA, the National Parks Board (NParks) and national water agency PUB had last week reminded the public not to release animals into the wild, and announced that checks would be carried out at 18 nature areas during the weekends before and after Vesak Day.

In its Facebook post titled When kindness hurts: The effects of releasing animals, ACRES also dispelled the following myths surrounding the release of animals into the wild.

BELIEF: Buying animals for release liberates them from being consumed as food.

The market will see these purchases as a demand for the animals, said ACRES. As such, more animals will be bred or caught from the wild for food.

BELIEF: Liberating animals will set them free.

According to ACRES, these animals are often caught from the wild and are sometimes smuggled. "During transport, many animals often die from the stress. Majority of the animals who are released often suffer from stress being introduced into a new environment and die," it said.

ACRES also encouraged members of the public to alert the authorities about animal abandonment if they come across such cases.

First time offenders caught releasing animals may be charged under the Parks and Trees Act. They could be jailed for up to six months, fined a maximum of S$50,000, or both.

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Malaysia: Central Pahang floods worsen, 831 at relief centres

Bernama New Straits Times 12 May 17;

KUANTAN: Water levels in Temerloh and Mentakab continue to rise, forcing more people from their homes and the opening of another relief centre.

The latest number of victims stands at 831, a jump from the 548 recorded yesterday afternoon.

Pahang Civil Defence Forces director Zainal Yusoff said the Sungai Buloh Multipurpose hall was the latest relief centre opened, and it currently houses 10 evacuees from three families.

"Three other temporary relief centres recorded a rise in the number of evacuees. The number of victims at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Desa Bakti rose from 400 to 548; SK Batu Kapor, Mentakab, recorded an increase from 158 to 267; and Surau Kampung Bongsu is sheltering six people," he said when contacted.

Zainal added that relevant agencies are on standby to evacuate more flood victims if the situation persists. – Bernama

Floods worsen in Mentakab, more villagers evacuated
HIDIR REDUAN New Straits Times 11 May 17;

TEMERLOH: The flood situation in Mentakab here has worsened as the number of evacuees has jumped to 284 people from 86 families.

Pahang Civil Defence Force director Zainal Yusoff said that rising flood waters has led to the opening of another two flood relief centres here as at 3pm.

He said that 129 evacuees are currently sheltered at SK Batu Kapor Mentakab, with another 129 being sheltered at SK Desa Bakti, and the remainder six at Surau Kampung Bongsu here.

Earlier this morning, only the SK Batu Kapor relief centre was open, sheltering 26 victims.

Meanwhile, he revealed that the flood situation has improved in Raub, where all 26 evacuees have returned to their homes at Kampung Pamah Rawas and Kampung Pamah Kulat in Ulu Dong here.

Zainal Yusoff said that the clear weather led to roads and villages becoming accessible again.

He said that with the evacuees having gone back to their villages, the two relief centres Balai Raya Kampung Pamah Rawas and Balai Raya Kampung Pamah Kulat were closed between 9.45am and 10am.

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Best of our wild blogs: 11 May 17

Mercy Release…or not?
BES Drongos

Morning Walk At Bukit Timah Nature Reserve (10 May 2017)
Beetles@SG BLOG

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Malaysia: Kelantan bird flu outbreak contained; 56,000 chickens culled

Bernama New Straits Times 11 May 17;

KUALA LUMPUR: Bird flu (H5N1) in Kelantan has been contained within a 30km radius of Kampung Pulau Tebu, Tunjong, covering six districts in the state.

In a statement, the Veterinary Services Department said the infection was detected among free range chickens reared by several small-scale farmers, and is under control and restricted to the immediate area.

According to the statement, 36 locations in six districts were confirmed positive for the disease, namely Kota Baru (in 15 locations), Pasir Mas (six), Tumpat (five), Bachok (six), Pasir Puteh (three) and Tanah Merah (one).

"As of yesterday, no new H5N1 cases or locations were detected. Culling of 56,953 chickens and disposal of 17,531 eggs in the 36 locations have been completed," the statement said.

The Veterinary Department added that through roadblock operations, 5,482 vehicles were checked and 272 poultry seized in 55 separate cases. -- BERNAMA

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Malaysia: Dengue, chikungunya cases soar in Kedah

Bernama New Straits Times 11 May 17;

SUNGAI PETANI: A total of 513 cases of dengue fever were recorded in Kedah from Jan to May 6 this year – an increase of 67.1 per cent compared with the corresponding period last year.

State Health director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail said three deaths due to dengue were recorded during the same period – one case in Kulim and two cases in Kuala Muda.

In the case of chikungunya, a total of 128 cases were recorded in the state during the same period this year. Dr Norhizan said cases were reported in three districts, namely Kuala Muda (58), Baling (69) and Kulim (one).

He said among the factors contributing to the increase in dengue and chikungunya cases in the state is an increase in population density, which has led to the creation of ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. -- Bernama

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Malaysia: 1-tonne male elephant captured while roaming Kelantan park

Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 9 May 17;

GUA MUSANG: Rangers from the Kelantan Wildlife Department yesterday captured a potentially-dangerous male elephant at Taman Wangi here – the fifth captured by the department this year.

Its director, Mohd Hasdi Husin, said the elephant was roaming near the rear of the Gua Musang Fire Services and Rescue station when it was captured at about 2.45pm.

“The male elephant is believed to have come out from Gunung Rabong forest and had been roaming the area for several hours before he was captured,” he said today.

Mohd Hasdi said the male jumbo, weighing about one metric tonne, is believed to be between 12 and 15 years old.

“The elephant will be sent to Kuala Gandah, in Pahang, as soon as possible,” he added.

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Malaysia: Ivory tusk smuggler caught again

MUGUNTAN VANAR The Star 11 May 17;

KOTA KINABALU: Indonesian authorities have finally caught up with a woman who was detained and let go in Kalimantan on Jan 13, despite being found with ivory tusks believed to be from poached Borneo Pygmy elephants in Sabah.

According to officials, the 37-year-old Indonesian woman, who had been living in Sabah, was arrested upon her return to Nunukan via the state’s border town of Tawau at about 10pm on May 3.

A Kalimantan wildlife official, Subhan, said the woman was currently held at the Nunukan prison while the five ivory tusks earlier seized from her was in the safekeeping of the Natural Resource Conservation Centre in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

She is being investigated for smuggling ivory from Sabah to Nunukan.

Subhan said that under the country’s Conservation of Biological and Natural Resources law, the woman now faced up to five years in prison and a fine of 100mil Rupiah.

The tusks were found on her days after reports emerged of three elephants, including a rare sabre-tusked animal whose rescue from a Tawau plantation in August was featured in newspapers, were found killed in Sabah.

However, the woman disappeared after she was let off by Indonesian Customs officials when they seized the tusks found in her bag.

Subhan said that on Jan 13, the woman had arrived on a ferry at Nunukan port from Tawau with the tusks, which were found after a scan by Customs.

“Customs officials explained that they released the woman because they had to check if the tusks were genuine. After it was found that these were genuine, we started to look for her but she refused to come back.

“We sought the help of the Indonesian Consulate for her to be deported. Eventually, she returned and she was arrested,” Subhan was quoted as saying by the Indonesian media.

However, he said Indonesian authorities had yet to find out where she got the tusks from and those behind the smuggling, adding that investigation was ongoing.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said it had been trying to check the DNA of the tusks seized.

“We have communicated (with the Indonesian authorities) but they are not responding,” he said.

“We are hoping that they (Indonesia) will work with us to conduct the DNA (testing) on the tusks,” he said, adding that the department also hoped to get leads on those behind the illegal trade in Sabah.

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Malaysia: Uncontrolled logging causing mud floods, says Galas rep

The Star 10 May 17;

GUA MUSANG: Uncontrolled logging activities to open up land for farming is the major cause of increasingly frequent mud floods here, says Galas assemblyman Ab Aziz Yusof.

He said logging activities have increased erosion in the hill slopes areas.

"The Gua Musang-Lojing road had never been hit by a mud flood, but it happened yesterday (Tuesday), forcing the road to be closed for hours.

"We are worried that an untoward incident may happen in future if the state government does do something about the mud flood problem immediately," he told reporters after viewing the affected area on Wednesday.

Ab Aziz said the Orang Asli at a few settlements, particularly Kampung Jedip at Pos Brooke, were no longer safe especially if it rained heavily for more than five hours.

"Continuous rain will cause the water level in the rivers to rise rapidly due to the absence of buffer zones as the hills have been stripped bare for agriculture purposes.

"I have raised this matter several times, especially during state assembly sittings but there has been no concrete solution to the problem implemented by the state government," he said. – Bernama

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Indonesia: Coral reefs in Sawu Sea cover 63,339 hectares

Antara 9 May 17;

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - The Head of East Nusa Tenggara Provinces Environment Office, Benyamin Lola, stated that various studies have revealed that Sawu Sea has high biodiversity potential with identified coral reefs covering 63,339,32 hectares.

"The East Nusa Tenggara is one of the best areas in Indonesia that has tremendous coral reef potential," he said here on Tuesday.

Sawu Sea has more than 500 species of corals; 5,019.53 hectares of mangroves; 5,320.62 hectares of sea grass beds; and 1,769.1 hectares of estuaries.

In addition, at least five of six turtle species in the world, as well as 30 species of marine mammals (whales and dolphins), including the endangered sperm whale and blue whale, can be found in Sawu Sea ecosystem.

"These types of mammal are easy to find in the area and are pelagic and demersal species, he noted.

To maintain the natural potentials, the East Nusa Tenggara provincial administration has implemented regulations on coral reef management through the Governor Regulation Number 1/2009.

The regulation manages the coral reefs to support the lives of people living in coastal areas.

"Every June 6, we celebrate Coral Triangle Day," Benjamin said, adding that the day aims to foster a sense of love, commitment, and care to safeguard and harness the reef ecosystem in a sustainable manner.(*)

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Indonesia: Thousands of hectares of land in S Sumatra to be restored

Antara 9 May 17;

Palembang, S Sumatra (ANTARA News) - An area of 400 thousand hectares of land in South Sumatra province is targeted for restoration and revegetation until 2020.

The initiative of restoration of the critical land was discussed at the meeting of Asia-Pacific environment ministers or Bonn Challenge in Palembang on May 9 and 10, Regional Secretary of South Sumatra province Joko Imam Sentosa said here on Tuesday.

He stated that the meeting discussed the restoration of critical land including peat lands, among others.

Moreover, South Sumatra has a lot of peat and deforested lands, due to fire in 2015, which need to be restored.

Therefore, South Sumatra hosted the meeting of international ministers. The main purpose of the meeting was to restore the deforested and critical lands, including peat lands.

Indeed, South Sumatra has been implementing the restoration of land. Hence, the participants of the meeting also inspected the land being restored, which was located in Sepucuk village, Ogan Komering Ilir district, South Sumatra province.

Governor of South Sumatra Alex Noerdin remarked that the restoration of land required substantial funds and support from all parties.

Likewise, the ministerial meeting was a form of state commitment for the preservation of forests, as various countries and non-governmental organizations will assist in the implementation of land and forest restoration, he added.(*)


World lends North Sumatra hand in restoring peatland areas
Safrin La Batu The Jakarta Post 11 May 17;

The Bonn-Challenge High Level Roundtable Meeting in Palembang, South Sumatra, concluded on Thursday with participants agreeing to help the province restore peatland areas that were damaged by catastrophic fires in 1997 and 2006.

The meeting kicked off on Tuesday, but the formal closed-door discussion started the next day. Delegates from 29 countries, central government representatives and local administration officials from Sumatra participated in the talks.

Speaking after the closed-door session on Wednesday evening, South Sumatra Governor Alex Nurdin said the participants had agreed to assist the province in restoring 11 damaged areas, nine of which were peatland areas.

“The form of assistance is land restoration. We are not going to receive money, but it is in the form of programs [to restore the damaged land],” Alex said when asked how much money the provincial administration would receive under the program.

Details of the restoration work would be discussed soon by technical teams, the governor added.

At least 739,000 hectares of peatland have been damaged by fires in the province. Alex said on Tuesday that it had taken five years for the province to restore the areas, at a cost of around Rp 15 million (US$1,122) for every hectare of land each year.

The governor said the province did not have enough funds to do that alone. Therefore, he expected the restoration to involve various stakeholders, including private companies and local residents.

The Bonn Challenge is a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of the world's deforested and degraded land by 2020 and 350 million ha by 2030. The donors behind the global initiative include Germany, Norway and the US. (ebf)

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