Bali, Indonesia - International experts meet today in Bali for the start of a week long training session organized by Conservation International (CI) to help address climate change in the Asia-Pacific region. The meeting brings together over 50 experts involved in conservation and forest management from 10 countries to learn about the science, policy and market aspects of forest carbon projects, and to share experience.
“Issues associated with climate change are attracting a lot of attention but addressing these issues requires new expertise,” says Dr. Celia Harvey, head of CI’s Climate Change Initiatives Program. “This course deals with the design and implementation of innovative forest carbon projects to tackle the global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss with sound, aggressive field conservation actions.“
The training will focus on activities to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity, and sustain local livelihoods. Two types of forest carbon projects will be discussed, namely forest conservation projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation or degradation (known as REDD), and reforestation or restoration projects that mitigate climate change by storing carbon.
Representatives from conservation NGOs, government departments, multilateral organizations and research bodies from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Japan, China, the Philippines, Cambodia and Australia will take part in the course. In addition to the technical training the course will provide an opportunity for participants to share experiences from across the region.
Dr. Jatna Supriatna, Regional Vice President for CI's Indonesia Program welcomed the delegates saying, “We are proud to host our colleagues and partners for this training which I hope will help us improve our effectiveness in addressing the urgent challenge of climate change.”
CI has run similar training sessions in other regions which have been well received. This training session is adapted to the particular challenges which face the Asia-Pacific region, in particular deforestation as land is cleared for development, agriculture and mining.
Media contact:
Meirini Sucahyo
Conservation International
Email: msucahyo@conservation.org
Phone: (+62) 8123895002
Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of plant and animal diversity and demonstrate that human societies can live harmoniously with nature. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents to help people find economic alternatives without harming their natural environments. For more information about CI, visit www.conservation.org or www.conservation.or.id.