Indonesia and World Tourism News

Indonesia Aims to Plant 79 Million Trees

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia, which is losing its forests faster than any other country, hopes to plant 79 million trees in a single day ahead of a major U.N. climate change meeting this year, a forestry ministry spokesman said Friday.

The trees, mostly eucalyptus and teak, will be planted across the world’s fourth-largest nation on Nov. 28, said the spokesman Masyhud, who uses one name.
“We aim to get Indonesia greener as soon as we can and reduce forest degradation as much as possible,” he said.

A Greenpeace forest activist, Hapsoro, said the planting of trees was admirable, but was almost pointless in the face of Indonesia’s rapid deforestation.

“Planting new trees is good, but Greenpeace stays firm in calling on the government to temporarily stop all logging to allow forest re-growth,” he said.

The environmental group said in May that Indonesia was losing its forests faster than any other country, with the equivalent of about 300 soccer fields destroyed every hour. The forestry ministry did not contest the statement.

Around 4.5 million acres of forest were destroyed each year between 2000 and 2005, a rate of 2 percent annually or 20 square miles a day, the group said.

In addition to massive commercial logging for timber, Indonesian forests are also being decimated by fires and land clearing for palm oil plantations.

Masyhud said that since 2003 the government has launched several conservation initiatives, including signing agreements with Japan and the European Union banning the import of illegally logged products.

The government planted 2.5 million acres in 2006 and aims to double that amount this year, he said.

Indonesia will host a major U.N. climate change meeting in December on the resort island of Bali. Environment ministers from 80 countries will meet there to begin talks on what actions the world must take after the first commitment period of the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012.

Source: http://ap.google.com/article

Add comment October 8th, 2007

Indonesians to celebrate end of Ramadan, start cramming bus and train stations

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia began its annual mass exodus Sunday when millions of people pour out of the major cities to return to their home villages to celebrate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Thousands have started crowding bus and train stations in the capital, Jakarta six days before Eid al-Fitr to beat the mass exodus later in the week when buses, cars and motorcycles create massive traffic jams on roads across the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Transport officials estimate that nearly 15 million people will head to their home villages - up six per cent from last year - for the two day celebration next weekend.

“The exodus through land transportation is expected to reach its peak three days before the Eid al-Fitr,” said senior transportation ministry official Iskandar Abubakar.

Every year, families form long lines at train and bus stations and tens of thousands wait for ferries at seaports around the country that is spread across more than 17,000 islands.

Nearly 90 per cent of Indonesia’s 235 million people are Muslims.

During the four weeks of Ramadan, Muslims are not supposed to eat, drink or have sex during daylight hours. On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, people flock to early morning prayers and families later gather to eat specially prepared snacks and offer them to friends and neighbours.

Source: http://canadianpress.google.com

Add comment October 8th, 2007