Environment

Peru president announces million acre reforestation initiative

President Alan García announced a reforestation plan for millions of acres of Peru’s Amazon jungle during the inauguration of a Universal Flooring production plant in Lima yesterday.

¨We propose a national policy of reforestation for about 20,000,000 acres and the integral and sustainable use of 155 million acres of virgin forest,¨ said García. According to Agencia Andina, García said the initiative would help preserve and strengthen the environment vis-à-vis future climate change problems.

García’s plan appears similar to the 2005 National Reforestation Plan developed by the National Institute of Natural Resources, INRENA, during the administration of former President Alejandro Toledo. INRENA’s 2005 plan called for the reforestation of more than 25,000,000 acres of unproductive and abandoned land by 2024.

Peru has the second largest forested area in South America and is one of the top ten forested countries in the World. But according to INRENA, increased logging and the lack of an efficient and competitive reforestation program has created ¨economic, social, and environmental consequences that are very negative for the overall balance of the country.¨ ¨The potential of reforestation is an important factor for increasing wealth and environmental protection.¨

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