Autonomy raises hopes and fears on fate of environment<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Environmental destruction in 2001 may not have exceeded that
\nin previous years but was unfortunately just as rapid, with
\nnature continuing to vanish in a blink of an eye.<\/p>\n
The land, water and even the air were victims of man's obtuse
\ngreed.<\/p>\n
Citing a World Bank report, Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa
\nsaid that at its present rate, Sumatra's forests could vanish by
\n2005, while Kalimantan would be bare by 2010.<\/p>\n
The office of the state minister of environment estimates that
\ndeforestation has been sustained at an annual level of nearly 2.4
\nmillion hectares. The destruction is mainly caused by illegal
\nlogging, forest fires and mining activities.<\/p>\n
Marine life is also imperiled.<\/p>\n
Data from the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) shows that
\nonly 6 percent of the 75,000 square kilometers of coral reef in
\nthe country's oceans are in good condition.<\/p>\n
The causes of the destruction were the same as in previous
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Development had taken place without considering the effects on
\nthe environment. Collusion between the government and private
\nsector to plunder natural resources has continued.<\/p>\n
These were worsened with the prolonged economic crisis, which
\nprompted people to squander the environment to earn a living.<\/p>\n
Worst still, weak law enforcement made irresponsible parties
\nthrive with impunity.<\/p>\n
While old dangers lingered, new challenges, if not threats, to
\nthe environment in the shape of the introduction of regional
\nautonomy this year began to raise their ugly head.<\/p>\n
State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim probably
\ndescribed it best when he said that the advent of regional
\nautonomy, which will see the environment's fate in the hands of
\nlocal administrations, raised both hopes and fears.<\/p>\n
\"Regional autonomy raises hopes of better environmental
\nmanagement. But regional autonomy also means that natural
\nresources are a source of regional income,\" Nabiel said.<\/p>\n
While it might still be too early to prophesy doom, the early
\nsigns are bleak, as regions are already hastily issuing
\ncontroversial rulings on exploiting natural resources in a race
\nto boost their coffers.<\/p>\n
The right of regions to exploit their natural resources is
\nclearly defined in Article 10 of Regional Autonomy Law No.
\n22\/1999.<\/p>\n
The article, however, also states that regions must preserve
\nthe environment in accordance with the law.<\/p>\n
This open-ended stipulation gives rise to several
\ninterpretations as to the extent of permissible exploitation, and
\nto what degree the central government may intervene for the sake
\nof the environment.<\/p>\n
It is thus not surprising that the government recently stepped
\nin to stop the potential chaos by deciding to amend the law and
\nintroduce stricter guidelines on the issue.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri recently declared that all
\nforest concession holders must obtain government-approved
\nsustainable forest management certification by 2003 or lose their
\nlicenses.<\/p>\n
In a bid to stem the illegal logging and export of logs, the
\nminister of forestry and minister of industry and trade issued a
\njoint decree banning the export of logs, starting from October.<\/p>\n
People's Consultative Assembly Decree No. 9\/2001 on agrarian
\nreform and natural resources management prepares the way for
\nbetter and more sustainable management of natural resources.<\/p>\n
The decree will integrate the overlapping control and
\nmanagement of natural resources, the mismanagement of which often
\nleads to environmental destruction, along with recognizing the
\nneed for wider public participation and for recognizing
\ntraditional rights over natural resources.<\/p>\n
The long talked-about debt-for-nature scheme, which would see
\nIndonesia receive debt relief in return for nature conservation,
\nsaw progress this year, with Germany being the first country to
\nsignal its intent to participate in the program.<\/p>\n
While negotiations will continue through next year, the in-
\nprinciple talks conducted this year have at least laid the foundations with potential creditors.<\/p>\n
Once it materializes, the scheme could help ease pressure on
\nthe country's huge foreign debt and, at the same time, benefit
\nthe environment.<\/p>\n
The introduction of unleaded gasoline in Jakarta this year and
\nnationwide by 2003 was a significant step to potentially reducing
\nair pollution.<\/p>\n
However, it still needs to be followed up with other
\nstrategies, such as the use of clean energy or environmentally
\nfriendly vehicles.<\/p>\n
The legal battle to save the environment saw various twists
\nand turns, which ended in a rather hollow victory for the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) received a
\nfavorable court decision in its legal battle against U.S.-based
\nmining company Freeport this year over the pollution incident at
\nWanagon Lake.<\/p>\n
However, there was little in the court decision to force the
\ncompany to remedy the overall health degradation caused by the
\npollution.<\/p>\n
The office of the state minister of the environment also won a
\nlegal battle against a Malaysian based company, PT Adei
\nPlantation.<\/p>\n
These might merely be small victories, but they give hope that
\nin the future, crimes against the environment might not escape
\nthe law.<\/p>\n
In a seemingly modest drive to address weak law enforcement,
\nthe environmental impact control agency (Bapedal) announced a
\nplan this year to hire professional private lawyers to assist in
\nthe prosecution of environmental cases. As a follow-up, the
\noffice of the state minister of the environment will also
\nestablish an in-house team of lawyers.<\/p>\n
As 2001 ends, we still have to wait and see if progress will
\ncontinue next year, particularly as regions begin to take a
\ngreater role in the fate of the environment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/autonomy-raises-hopes-and-fears-on-fate-of-environment-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}