ASIATODAY.ID, BOGOR – As part of efforts to protect Indonesia’s mega biodiversity, the Ministry of Forestry and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched today a IDR 74.6 billion (USD 4.4 million) project to strengthen the country’s capacity in controlling invasive alien species with Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) funding support.
Invasive alien species are animals, plants and other organisms intentionally or accidentally entering a natural environment where they are not normally found, disrupting natural ecosystems and harming native species.
This makes them one of the biggest drivers of biodiversity loss, contributing to as high as 60 percent of global plant and animal extinctions. They also pose threats to the economy, human health, and food security, costing the world over USD 423 billion annually, according to a 2023 report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Indonesia has one of the highest numbers of invasive alien species in Southeast Asia according to the 2015 IUCN Species Survival Commission Invasive Species Specialist Group. Increasing trade, travel, transport, as well as land use change and climate change have led to the spread of such species across the archipelago.
Conservation areas like national parks are particularly vulnerable, with invasion reported in over half of the 54 national parks managed by the Ministry of Forestry according to its 2021 data.
The project, named Strengthening Capacities for Management of Invasive Alien Species (SMIAS) in Indonesia, will focus on Indonesia’s two conservation areas that are home to important endemic species: Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java and Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park in South Sulawesi, the latter of which also hosts the world’s second largest karst area.
“The SMIAS project is a strategic initiative to strengthen governance, capacity, and collaboration in the management of invasive alien species, from the policy to the site level. Both areas have distinctive ecosystems and high conservation value, but also face pressures that can accelerate the spread of invasive alien species.,” said Satyawan Pudyatmoko, Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation at the Ministry of Forestry in his opening remarks, represented by Director of Species and Genetic Conservation Ahmad Munawir, during the project’s inception workshop on Thursday in Bogor, West Java.
Interventions under this project will strengthen Indonesia’s policies, regulations, institutions, multi-sectoral coordination and financing to mitigate, control, and eradicate invasive alien species, including by resorting to sustainable practices in close collaboration with Masyarakat Adat (customary communities) and local communities, including women and youth.
“By protecting Indonesia’s rich biodiversity, the project aims to also benefit many Indonesians whose livelihoods and food security depend on the forests, including Masyarakat Adat. FAO stands ready to provide oversight support, helping Indonesia deliver better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life that leaves no one behind,” said Rajendra Aryal, FAO Representative in Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
The project is expected to improve the productivity and resilience of over 2,000 people, particularly Masyarakat Adat, thanks to improved overall ecosystem health through sustainable practices and increased availability of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), medicinal plants, and livestock forage, among others.
“Statement by GEF,” said Erik Teguh Primiantoro, GEF Operational Focal Point in Indonesia and Minister’s Senior Advisor for International Cooperation and Environmental Diplomacy at the Ministry of Environment.
The project will support Indonesia in achieving national targets and global commitments, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and Sustainable Development Goals. They include targets to prevent and reduce the introduction and establishment of these species by at least 50 percent by 2030. (AT Network)
Follow Us at Google News and WA Channel