America reduced debt to save Indonesian forests

Washington and Jakarta have signed a special agreement, whereby the country with the largest area in Southeast Asia will commit to protecting the rainforest in return for debt reduction.

The US Rainforest Conservation Act, which came into effect in 1998, allows the federal government to reduce or erase debt for developing countries to protect the forest. The US Department of Finance said the above document is the largest agreement in the framework of the country's Forest Conservation Act.

' The US government will reduce $ 30 million in Indonesian debt in the next eight years. In return, the Indonesian government pledged to use that money to protect and restore its forests , 'the US Treasury said.

Orangutan in a tropical forest on Sumatra Island, Indonesia.
(Photo: climos.com)

Under the agreement, Indonesia also received $ 20 million from the US and $ 2 million from two environmental organizations, Conservation International (USA) and KEHATI (Indonesia).

Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest level of biodiversity. Much of Washington's funding will be used to protect many areas of tropical forests on Sumatra. These forests are home to many endangered animals such as Sumatra tigers, elephants, rhinos, orangutans. In addition, they also have a great role in maintaining fresh water on the island.