French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Center for International Cooperation in Agronomic Research for Development (Cirad) signed an agreement to promote training on sustainable management of agricultural and forest plantations in four ASEAN member countries including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

This project is receiving 1.2 million euros (RM5.77 million).

Located in the intertropical zone, ASEAN is home to the world's third largest tropical forest. However, the development of large agricultural or forestry plantations (for rubber, palm oil, cellulose or wood) has led to significant deforestation and sudden losses of biodiversity for the past decades. The development of sustainable management of agricultural and forest plantations in Southeast Asia is therefore a priority for biodiversity conservation, but it is also a social and economic issue for countries of the region.

In response to this situation, France, through Cirad and AFD, seeks to provide support for skills development in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

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New Straits Times