From 24 – 27 November CKPP will organize an international symposium on Policy and Practice in Peatland Management in Palangka Raya. The symposium will build on the experiences of CKPP, the Master Planning Project and other peatland management initiatives in Central Kalimantan and elsewhere. The aim is to draw out lessons learned that will contribute to program development and future implementation, both in Central Kalimantan and other areas of Indonesia.

The objectives of the symposium include:

1. Sharing and expanding lesson learned gained from the CKPP and master planning activities;
2. Sharing information on policies and practices in peatlands management;
3. Contributing to the development of a longer-term vision for peatlands management in Indonesia;
4. Proposing follow up action for the conservation of peatlands in Central Kalimantan and other key peatlands regions in Indonesia.

The symposium will cover 6 thematic areas: 

i.         Bottom-up Action and Piloting of Innovative Mechanisms
ii.        Master Planning
iii.       Policy environment
iv.       Finance Mechanisms
v.        Science base
vi.       Donor Coordination

Participants are invited to contribute with a poster presentation on:

1. Fire preventation and control
2. Hydrology restoration
3. Re-greening
4. Biodiversity conservation
5. Poverty reduction
6. Public awareness and communication
7. Peatland policies
8. International policy and cooperation (including REDD)

The event will include a one-day-field trip for which also local and international press will be invited. Participation to the seminar is by invitation. Press can contact Susanna Tol for more information (hq Wetlands International, Netherlands).

For more information:

The Symposium Secretariat of CKPP
Dr. Aswin Usup (CKPP - University of Palangka Raya, Indonesia) 
Post Address: Kantor CKPP University of Palangka Raya
Jl. H. Timang Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan-Indonesia
Tel/Fax : +62-536-3241115
Email: ckpp_unpar@yahoo.com 
Website address: www.symposium.ckpp.or.id (soon available)

Wetlands International was on behalf of CKPP present during the meeting of the UN Climate Change meeting in Accra, Ghana, August 2008. During this meeting, a working group with representatives of all countries will work on the new climate treaty for the period after 2012.

Wetlands International advocated for attention for the giant carbon dioxide emissions from peatswamp loss. These emissions amount 3 Gigatonne carbon dioxide a year. Currently these are ignored. See our paper (one A4) for our agenda at this meeting, and an article in ECO, the daily news from Climate Action Network (CAN) of which Wetlands International is a member.

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