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SINGAPORE : Asia's leading carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) is committing US$3 million towards rainforest preservation in Indonesia.
Funds donated will support the Harapan Rainforest Initiative, aimed at restoring ecosystems threatened by deforestation.
Rainforests in Indonesia have faced gradual degradation over the years from overlogging and slash-and-burn agriculture.
A new government policy was introduced in 2004 to avoid further deforestation and to maintain lowland forests.
Harapan Rainforest was the first to benefit.
Straddling Indonesia's Jambi and South Sumatra provinces, the forest is one and a half times the size of Singapore.
It serves as a buffer against climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and is home to a wide variety of endangered wildlife such as the Sumatran tiger and Malayan tapir.
SIA's donation will go towards financing ongoing core operations such as the employment of forest patrols to prevent illegal logging, forest fires and poaching.
Boedi Mranata, spokesperson, Yayasan KEHI, said: "We have to protect the area with about 100 security men. With this security system, the illegal logging became less."
Currently, some 200 locals are employed as forest wardens, which have resulted in a decline in forest fires, illegal logging and poaching.
Plant and animal species protection programmes will also be put in place.
Harapan also plays a significant role in engaging the local indigenous community, with some 800 people depending on the forest for their livelihood.
An estimated US$2 million is needed each year to run the various programmes.
Singapore also stands to benefit from this project - by reducing slash-and-burn agriculture which is a cause of transboundary haze.
Bey Soo Khiang, senior executive vice-president, Marketing and Corporate Services, SIA, said: "When we were affected by the haze in Singapore, our lives were affected, our daily activities were to a large extent influenced by the PSI index. So being able to take part in a project which has an influence on the lives of Singaporeans, is something which SIA sees as a positive thing to do."
The Harapan Rainforest Initiative has found success through partnerships between international and local non-profit organisations, and by engaging locals in positions such as forest wardens.
And there are plans to replicate this model of collaboration in places such as the Philippines, Ecuador and Fiji. - CNA/ls/ms
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