9 October 2009: The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia have launched a partnership designed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) and to enhance forest carbon stocks through enhanced community participation in conservation and management of the Meru Betiri National Park (MBNP), in the southeastern part of the East Java province.

The project is specifically designed to improve the livelihoods of local communities living inside MBNP and in surrounding areas through their involvement in activities to avoid deforestation, degradation and biodiversity loss, and will include the development of a measurable, reportable and verifiable system for monitoring emissions reductions and forest carbon stock enhancement. Conservation efforts will have financing from 7&i Holdings Ltd, under a pilot public-private partnership. Emmanuel Ze Mekka, Executive Director of ITTO, commented that this project “is an important example for upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen on the role of the private sector which can play a greater role on the ground to implement activities for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, including sustainably managing and conserving forests (REDD+).”
[ITTO Press Release]