Jakarta, July 1 -- The Indonesian Forestry Ministry has designated 250 critically degraded watersheds as priority areas for restoration over the next five years to curb land degradation.

Director General of Watersheds Management and Forest Rehabilitation Dyah Murtiningsih pointed out that the ministry had identified around 4,400 watersheds as requiring immediate intervention out of roughly 42,000 river basins across the country.

"Of the 4,400 watersheds, we have decided to prioritize recovery in 250 locations over the next five years based on the parameters we use," she remarked after an event marking World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Murtiningsih explained that the government refers to three key ...