By: Sri Jimmy

West Kutai, October 2, 2012. The REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestration and Degradation) training held at the 3rd floor Training Room, West Kutai Regent's Office was attended by participants from Bappeda, Forestry Service, Mining Service, Environment Agency, Regional Licensing Agency (BPPT), Plantation, Food Crops, Fisheries and Livestock Service, and WWF-Indonesia. It was held to support efforts to implement the Heart of Borneo (HoB) national action strategic plan whose activities are related to conservation and sustainable development programs in West Kutai.

Through this training, it is expected to realize real steps and actions in environmentally sound development in West Kutai. "Development needs to pay attention to environmental and social elements, because the environment functions as a support for sustainable development and provides community benefits. If development continuously does not pay attention to environmental factors, the environment will be damaged, the community will be affected by environmental damage, and it will hamper the sustainability of development," Didik added.

In this training, REDD activities, the involvement of the parties, and the follow-up that must be done in West Kutai are also discussed to produce an action plan so that the implementation of REDD that supports environmentally sound development can be maximized, especially economic development, infrastructure, education, and health. The implementation of REDD in West Kutai requires the cooperation and commitment of the parties for the preparation of activity plans and policies as well as instruments in its implementation that support the realization of environmentally sound development in an effort to gradually improve the district area, economy, and human quality by taking into account environmental factors.