Enforcement, not new rules, will stop forest fires<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two environmental activists say rather than
\nissuing new regulations to prevent more forest fires, the
\ngovernment should strive to enforce the existing regulations.<\/p>\n
Mas Achmad Santosa and S. Indro Tjahjono said separately on
\nSaturday many regulations issued by local governments are
\nadequate in preventing forest fires if they are complied with.<\/p>\n
Santosa, director of the Indonesian Center for Environmental
\nLaw (ICEL) and Indro, coordinator of the Indonesian Non-
\nGovernmental Organization on Forest Conservation (SKEPHI), were
\ncommenting on the government's plan to issue new regulations on
\nthe way the country manages and protects its forestry resources.<\/p>\n
The State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, last
\nweek said that he has been appointed to coordinate the
\ngovernment's efforts to prevent major forest fires in the future.
\nSarwono said he plans to tighten the regulations, including those
\nto which forestry concessionaires must comply.<\/p>\n
At least 5.11 million hectares of forest, brush and grasslands
\nhave been damaged by fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan this year,
\ncreating environmental as well as health hazards.<\/p>\n
The government will be looking at the parties believed to be
\nresponsible for starting the fires, Sarwono said.<\/p>\n
Government officials said most of the fires originated from
\nlocal farmers who still practice slash and burn cultivation.
\nOthers were from forestry concessionaires who were clearing the
\nland for timber estates, plantations or new settlement areas.<\/p>\n
New rules<\/p>\n
Sarwono gave no details of the new rules being envisaged.<\/p>\n
Santosa and Indro both said most provincial administrations in
\nSumatra and Kalimantan have the necessary by-laws.<\/p>\n
\"As far as I know, several provinces have already issued
\nregulations on the management of forest fires, but I wonder why
\nthey have not worked,\" Santosa said.<\/p>\n
He suggested that the government learn the traditional
\ntechniques of forest management from the indigenous people. These
\npeople have developed special skills in extinguishing fires
\nbecause the forest is their habitat and their source of food, he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Both Santosa and Indro disputed the Ministry of Forestry's
\ncontention that the major cause of the fires was the practice of
\nslash and burn cultivation.<\/p>\n
They said Sarwono should make an independent study on the real
\ncauses of the fires.<\/p>\n
A foreign consultant might be hired if necessary, said
\nSantosa.<\/p>\n
Indro said that the issuance of the new rules on forest fire
\nprevention should be supported with fiscal and monetary
\nincentives for forest concessionaires who are successful in the
\nimplementation of sustainable development concepts.<\/p>\n
Indro and Santosa shared the opinion that a greater share of
\nforestry products and funds raised from forestry activities
\nshould be given to local governments so they can afford the
\nforest management. Under the current policy, the biggest share
\ngoes to central government coffers.<\/p>\n
They observed that conflicts of interest among government
\nofficials or agencies often obstruct the implementation of the
\nregulation on the Environmental Impact Analysis.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Forestry ruled that a company should make such
\nan analysis when applying for a forestry concession, but the
\nInvestment Coordinating Board said it would issue an operation
\npermit for the concessionaires, if they stated that they would
\nmake the analysis, Indro pointed out as one inconsistency.<\/p>\n
Indro hailed the government's plan to ban the burning of wood
\nwaste. To obtain eight cubic meters of timber from a tree, the
\nloggers produced five cubic meters of wood waste, he said.<\/p>\n
Beginning next year, concessionaires will be obliged to make
\nwood chips from the waste. (sim)<\/p>",
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