August 5, 2004 -- With 12 million hectares of the world's rainforests disappearing each year - an area approximately the size of Greece - considerable international attention is now placed on reforestation activities. Efforts to restore and rehabilitate degraded natural forests have been undertaken in Indonesia and around the world for several years.

It is now time to look at these efforts and see if they are succeeding, to learn from past reforestation experiences and to examine how future reforestation activities can be improved.

"Review of forest rehabilitation initiatives - Lessons from the past", an international seminar at the Center for International Forestry Research in Bogor on August 9, will look at all these and other issues.

Researchers from Indonesia, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brazil and Peru will meet and discuss their experiences in implementing reforestation activities.

One of the key speakers will be Japanese scientist, Dr. Takeshi Toma, who oversees CIFOR's reforestation research. Dr. Toma will be available for individual interviews and will attend the general press conference between 10:45 to 11:15 am. Also attending will be Ibu Ani Nawir from CIFOR and Ibu Murniati and Pak Lukas Rumboko from the RI Ministry of Forestry, to discuss case studies looking at the first lessons learned from Indonesia's reforestation experiences.

"Review of forest rehabilitation initiatives - Lessons from the past"

International Seminar

Center for International Forestry Research in Bogor

09:00 - 16:40 August 9, 2004

Further information or to arrange an interview:

Budhy Kristanty 0251 622622 / 0816637353

Sponsored by
Official Development Assistance, Government of Japan
and
The Center for International Forestry Research