The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Indonesia Forest and Climate Support (IFACS) program, has urged the private sector to engage in sustainable economic development in West Kalimantan by implementing Best Management Practices (BMP) and Low Emission Strategies (LEDS).
The commitment was put across in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between USAID IFACS and oil palm plantation company PT Pasifik Agro Sentosa (PAS) in Pontianak on Thursday. PAS has also signed an MoU with Tanjungpura University (Untan).
IFACS chief-of-party Reed Merrill said that adopting BMP and LEDS would raise the industry’s responsibility for environmental issues, as well as improve marketing. In implementing the BMP, assistance will be provided in conservation management and supervisory planning.
“Improvement in sustainable economic development in the oil palm plantation sector by adopting BMP and LEDS includes biomass utilization to produce electricity for the local community,” Merrill said.
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