The UK government has announced major initiatives to counter global deforestation and support those reliant on forests for their livelihood, enhancing its efforts on climate change through the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries programme.
The UK is to contribute £100m of funding through REDD, which will be used for sustainable economic growth in rainforest countries and improving infrastructures without negative impacts on forests.
Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband announced the funding at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Poznan, Poland, where he and other ministers from developed and developing countries agreed to a mission statement which outlines “the importance of REDD” and a commitment to ensure it is part of the outcome of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.
Mr Miliband also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indonesian government at the Poznan meeting, which includes establishing a UK-Indonesia working group to look at deforestation and other topics related to the environment and climate change.
“The UK and Indonesia have much to learn from one another; about the circumstances we have to deal with, the opportunities available to us and the solutions that could help both countries do our bit to tackle climate change,” said Rachmat Witoelar, Indonesia’s environment minister.
