Biak, Papua (ANTARA News) - The Biak Numfor district administration through the forestry and plantation office in 2011 allocated Rp4 billion to finance the reforestation of degraded plots of land in the area, a local official said here, Wednesday.

The source of financing the reforestation program will come from the special allocation fund (DAK) and the Papua special autonomy budget, head of the Biak plantation and forestry office, Andreas Lamecki, said.

"The support funding of Rp4 billion is expected to stimulate the regreening movement under a program of planting one billion trees," Andreas Lamecki noted.

He said that until early 2011, the arid lands in Biak Numfor district covered 37 thousand hectares located in a number of sub districts.

Andreas explained that in the regreening and tree planting program, 5,400 hectares had been successfully reforested on 42,618 hectares until 2011.

"To support the tree planting one billion trees program, I expect the active role of the community by planting various kinds of trees as a tangible manifestation of concern for the environment," Andreas hoped.

According to him, the other program conducted by the office in addressing arid lands, is to give guidance to forestry farmers in 19 sub districts to help them prepare plant seeds and managing the critical lands in the vicinity of people`s settlements into productive lands.

According to the Biak work plan 2011, the Biak district administration through the forestry office will work in such lands as rural forests of 5 hectares, 27 hectares of urban forests, reforestation of 82 hectares, 30 hectares of community forests as well as 20 hectares of mangrove.
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Editor: AA Ariwibowo
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