Non-profit bird conservation organization Burung Indonesia will launch a five-year sustainable landscape development and ecosystem restoration program in Gorontalo starting this year.
The program is fully supported by the German government through the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the Kredtanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Development Bank.

Burung Indonesia senior Wallace Program officer Amsurya Warman Amsa said the program sought to conserve species and improve livelihoods around the forest areas by amplifying the forests’ landscape connectivity in Gorontalo.

He added that the program was designed to minimize the impact of climate change on the ecosystem.
The program is being held in Popayato-Paguat forest in Pohuwato and Boalemo regencies, which feed four big rivers in Gorontalo.
“This zone is essential for conserving biodiversity,” Amsurya said on Wednesday at his workshop “Improving Connectivity in Gorontalo Forests” ran by Burung Indonesia and several parties in Gorontalo.

Studies made by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences in 2009 indicate that the area fosters a natural habitat for a series of globally significant flora and fauna.
Amsurya added that by recovering the Popayato-Paguat forest, they would create an extensive conservation area of up to 256,000 hectares.
“The two connected areas will have a big role in preventing floods, landslides, drought and climate change in the region,” he said.

According to Forestry Ministry official Dewi Madrim, there were six areas that have ecosystem restoration areas: Sumatra, Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua, encompassing a total of 2,695,036 hectares.
Gorontalo is also part of the Wallace area known for having wildlife and flora from both Asia and Australia. (bcw)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/02/13/burung-indonesia-begins-ecosystem-restoration-program-gorontalo.html