Article | 11 Mai, 2017

Indonesia hosts first Asia regional high-level event on restoration and the Bonn Challenge

The first Asia Bonn Challenge High-Level Roundtable Meeting was held on May 9-10, 2017 in Palembang, South Sumatra.

Led by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of South Sumatra, in cooperation with IUCN, the two-day meeting will be instrumental in furthering regional momentum on the Bonn Challenge – a global effort to bring degraded and deforested land into restoration by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030.

Photo: © WRI

“Indonesia is keen to collaborate with the Bonn Challenge because the program is in line with our programme in terms of conservation, rehabilitation and ecosystem restoration in degraded forests or primary forests and peatlands. We are hosting this event to encourage countries in Asia to share their experiences with restoration and learn from each other,” said Dr. Hadi Daryanto, Director General of Social Forestry and Environmental Partnership, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia.

Ecosystem conservation is central to Indonesia’s National Medium Term Development Plan (RPMJN) (2015-2019) that stresses the importance of equitable economy with the pillar policies of land tenure, social business development, and human resource development. . It also calls for the mainstreaming of sustainability across sectors and emphasises the importance of acting on climate change.

These priorities are intrinsic to the FLR approach that underpins the Bonn Challenge. A long-term process of regaining ecological functionality and enhancing human well-being across degraded and deforested landscapes, FLR is able to positively impact agricultural productivity, conserve biodiversity, increase carbon sequestration through the creation or recovery of carbon sinks and enhance water security by protecting and restoring critical watersheds.

IUCN’s President, Zhang Xinsheng, participated in the event along with representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam, as well as officials from Germany, Norway, Netherlands, and international organisations.

Committing to and implementing a national Bonn Challenge pledge can help provide a coherent policy investment framework for restoration from state budgets and multilateral funding sources, as well as supporting countries to meet their international obligations such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the UNFCCC, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and Land Degradation Neutrality goal.