PAPUA ADMINISTRATION, BRITISH EMBASSY IMPLEMENTING SPATIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Jayapura, Papua, May 27 (Antara) - The Papua provincial administration and the British Embassy are cooperating to implement the Spatial Management System (locally called SIMTARU), which is a mapping system that can be widely accessed by the public. The cooperation focuses on environmental issues, British Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik stated here on Tuesday. "Papua's forests serve as the lungs of the world. The spatial system is expected to protect Indonesia's forests and even save the world," he noted. According to Malik, the spatial system can help Papua's administration to map the areas, to consider those that can be developed, and to identify the areas that should be protected and free of constructions. "This system is very helpful to implement future development of Papua's spatial planning and management. The system can reduce poverty and prevent any harm to the environment," Malik remarked. He pointed out that the system has been applied for three years and has shown good results. "Besides cooperation in the field of environmental conservation, we are also promoting cooperation in other sectors such as education and development," Malik pointed out. The British Embassy has allocated 8.5 million pounds for green spatial and investment programs to help the Papua administration overcome deforestation.