YKAN Supports North Kalimantan Towards Green Development

Indonesia's latest province, North Kalimantan (Kaltara), reaffirms its commitment to implementing environmentally sound development. This step was realized through the signing of a collaboration between the Provincial Government of Kaltara and the Nusantara Nature Conservation Foundation (YKAN) on sustainable natural resource management, which was held in Jakarta, on Monday, October 4, 2021.

The signing was carried out by North Kalimantan Governor Zainal Arifin Paliwang and YKAN Executive Director Herlina Hartanto, and witnessed by YKAN Supervisory Board member Sarwono Kusumaatmadja. “Kaltara's steps towards environmentally friendly development have been initiated since its inception. Kaltara plays a role in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts which have also been echoed in various international forums. Kaltara itself has set a target to reduce emissions by 33 percent from the business-as-usual scenario until 2030," said the Governor of North Kalimantan Zainal Arifin Paliwang.

Kaltara's commitment to green development began when he joined as an active member of the Governors' Climate and Forests (GCF) Task Force in 2016. This involvement encourages low-emission development efforts and emission reductions from land use change. Kaltara also has a TAPE policy or Ecology-based Provincial Budget Transfer. This sustainable natural resource management strategy is very important, considering that Kaltara is rich in a variety of natural resources.

With an area of 7.5 million hectares, 90 percent of Kaltara's area is forest area, which functions as the lungs of the world—an area of 5.13 million hectares. Upstream, there is Kayan Mentarang National Park covering an area of 1.3 million hectares, which is the largest national park in Indonesia. Kaltara also has mangrove and peat ecosystems in its coastal areas. If managed properly, Kaltara's rich natural resources provide potential for the development of the energy, mining, oil and gas, forestry, bioenergy, fisheries and marine, agriculture and plantation sectors. This is also included in the 10 priority programs of the provincial government, namely food security, development of hydroelectric power plants, industrial estates and international ports, connectivity of border and deepening areas, infrastructure, economic development, improvement of human resources, expansion of employment opportunities, business assistance. to improving income for village officials and neighborhood heads.

“Development of a green economy that supports natural preservation is a non-negotiable strategy in today's development, as part of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. This is also one of the keys to increasing local food security and building the empowerment of the surrounding community as an accelerator of development,” added YKAN Supervisory Board Sarwono Kusumaatmadja.

This collaboration is a new chapter in conservation efforts on the island of Kalimantan, which YKAN has initiated since 2001 together with the Provincial Government of East Kalimantan. Since 2019, YKAN has been actively providing support to the Kaltara Provincial Government's programs, especially related to the GCF, supporting sustainable forest management by strengthening Forest Management Units (KPH), as well as developing social forestry schemes.

“This signing is a reaffirmation of the commitment of the Provincial Government of Kaltara, which this year experienced a change of leadership, to manage its natural resources sustainably with the support of YKAN, which was previously carried out in September 2020. In the next five years, the Government of North Kalimantan and YKAN will work together - Together we make efforts to strengthen spatial planning, improve community welfare and increase capacity, institutions, and human resources," concluded YKAN Executive Director Herlina Hartanto.