Indonesia forest moratorium excludes permit extensions, energy projects

Indonesia's two-year moratorium on new permits to clear primary forests and carbon-rich peatlands will exclude the extension of existing permits and permits already given in principle by the forestry ministry, an official said on Friday.

It will also exclude projects to develop energy such as geothermal, gas and power plants, as well as plantations for rice and sugar, the official told a news conference.

The moratorium, delayed by five months from a planned January start, was signed into law on Thursday in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation under a $1 billion climate deal with Norway. Source: Reuters