JAKARTA –Tropical Forest Conservation Act Kalimantan (TFCA Kalimantan), a partnership program among the United States Government, the Government of Indonesia, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Yayasan World Wide Fund for Nature – Indonesia (WWF-I), approved 14 new grants worth $3.3 million to local Indonesian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These NGOs will work with forest-dependent communities to conserve tropical forests, protect natural resources and wildlife, and improve livelihoods. This is the third cycle of the $28.5 million planned investment in forest conservation efforts in Kalimantan under the TFCA. This debt-for-nature swap agreement, signed in 2011, promotes sustainable forest resource management, biodiversity conservation and community development.
Following NGOs will implement 14 projects in East, West and Central Kalimantan: Lamandau, Damai, West Kutai, Berau, Kubu Raya, Malawi, Kapuas Hulu, Kayong Utara, Ketapang, Sintang, Melawi, Pontianak, Kubu Raya, Sambas, Singkawang, Bengkayang, Sanggau, Mempawah, Sekadau, Landak Districts.
- Penabulu, with Non Timber Forest Product – Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) and Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengembangan Sumberdaya dan Lingkungan Hidup (LPPSH)
- Yayasan Jaringan Kerja Pemetaan Partisipatif (JKPP)
- Kelompok Swadaya Masyarakat – Kelola Kawasan Bersama (KSM KaKabe)
- Yayasan Penyu Berau
- Yayasan Komunitas Belajar Indonesia (YAKOBI)
- Pokdarwis Linggang Melapeh
- Aliansi Lestari Rimba Terpadu (ALeRT), with Yayasan Bumi, Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB), and Zoological Society of London (ZSL) Bogor
- Pengelola Kawasan Konservasi Gunung Menaliq
- Lembaga Pengelolaan Hutan Desa (LPHD) Bumi Lestari
- Komunitas Pecinta Alam Damai (KOMPAD)
- Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia (YAYORIN)
- Jaringan Independen Masyarakat Sipil untuk Transparansi dan Akuntabilitas Pembangunan (JARI) Indonesia
- Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (YIARI)
- Yayasan Titian Lestari
“The United States is proud to work with Indonesia and our partners to conserve some of the world’s most diverse tropical rain forest through a debt-for-nature swap. Protecting the forest helps conserve the world’s rich biodiversity, and preserves the ability of forests to sustain livelihoods for local residents,” Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Clark.
The newly-approved projects will provide incentives for forest-dependent communities to conserve tropical forests by improving local livelihoods, focusing in areas such as community development, conflict resolution in forest management, and ecotourism. Some of the projects will also support conservation efforts of near-extinct animals in Kalimantan, including rhinoceros, Irrawaddy dolphins, and orangutans.
Since 2009, the United States Government has worked with the Government of Indonesia (GOI) to support its forest conservation efforts. Under three TFCA agreements, GOI debt payments are reduced in exchange for activities that conserve tropical forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan. These activities build strong foundations for local involvement in biodiversity protection, sustainable use, and conservation policy-making. The TFCA Kalimantan agreement is implemented in partnership with the GOI, WWF-I and The Nature Conservancy, and administered by the Kehati Foundation.
For more information, visit www.usaid.gov/indonesia or contact USAID Communications Officer Janice Laurente at jlaurente@usaid.gov.
