Govt criticized over assessment body<\/p>\n
Musthofid and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
National forest watchdogs are questioning the efficiency and
\nimpartiality of the Independent Verification Institute (LPI) set
\nup by the forestry ministry to assess logging concessionaires,
\nand the Rp 148 billion fund proposed for its operations.<\/p>\n
\"I can say, to some extent, it's unnecessary,\" Togu Manurung
\nof Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) said on the sidelines of a one-
\nday dialog on sustainable forest management at Hotel Ibis in West
\nJakarta on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"What is the point of spending such a huge amount of money if
\nit is only to assess the companies' performance, to determine
\nwhether or not they deserve a contract extension? The ministry
\ncould have turned the task to its staff members.<\/p>\n
\"Many of the ministry's staff make annual visits to
\nconcessionaires' operation sites. They must have obtained data
\nabout the concessionaires that could have been used as a basis
\nfor their own assessment,\" Togu argued.<\/p>\n
LPI, which was established in the aftermath of the Earth
\nSummit in Johannesburg, is tasked with helping the forestry
\nministry determine whether a logging concessionaire is eligible
\nto continue its operation.<\/p>\n
In the past, the task was undertaken by the ministry and its
\nbranches in the provinces.<\/p>\n
When asked why the ministry relinquished the strategic role,
\nforestry ministry secretary-general Wahjudi Wardojo said: \"There
\nis a need for a platform that ensures independency and
\nobjectivity in the assessment.\"<\/p>\n
Wahjudi refused to comment on the amount proposed for LPI's
\noperations, saying it would have to rely on financial support
\nfrom the ministry in its initial stage.<\/p>\n
The ministry has yet to get an approval for the fund from the
\nMinistry of Finance.<\/p>\n
LPI comprises representatives of 12 companies selected from
\naround 90, according to Lumisu Mangiwa, the ministry's director
\nin charge of forest exploitation planning.<\/p>\n
Expected to start operation next month, LPI's immediate task
\nis to deal with 116 companies which are awaiting the ministry's
\napproval for an extension of their contracts. There are a total
\nof 412 concessionaires currently operating throughout Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The ministry has also set up a 24-point criteria, or
\nindicators, based on which LPI will make its assessment.<\/p>\n
Togu criticized the ministry's decision not to adopt the SNI
\n5000 national standard in formulating the criteria. He said the
\nSNI standard, which is sanctioned by the Indonesian Ecolabelling
\nInstitute (LEI), was a good tool to measure a company's
\nperformance.<\/p>\n
\"I'm sure if the ministry adopts the SNI 5000, many companies
\nwill not pass the assessment. And the ministry knows that,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Wahjudi admitted that although LPI's indicators are less
\ndemanding than those of LEI, they are based on the directives of
\nthe International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).<\/p>\n
Asked about the ministry's decision not to adopt the SNI, he
\nsaid: \"What we will do is to assess companies' eligibility. It's
\nnot a certification, which they can obtain from the international
\necolabelling body if they want to.\"<\/p>\n
Togu also was skeptical the new body could be partial, given
\nthe fact that one of its members, Forest For Life International
\n(FFL), is chaired by Mahfud, who is also an official of the
\nforestry ministry in charge of the research and development
\naffairs.<\/p>\n
FFL cannot be expected to be partial in making the assessment
\nbecause of a conflict of interest, Togu argued.<\/p>\n
Herry Purnomo, a scientist working for the Center for
\nInternational Forestry Research (CIFOR), said the mechanism in
\nformulating the 24-point criteria was indicative of the
\nministry's lack of public-oriented vision.<\/p>\n
\"The ministry should have discussed the indicators through a
\npublic consultation. The indicators could be bias because they
\nwere made without involving the stake holders,\" Herry Purnomo
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
However, Herry added that now that LPI had been established,
\npeople had better keep a watchful eye to monitor its activities.<\/p>\n
Strict monitoring of logging practices has been called for,
\ngiven the trend that many logging companies have violated the
\nlaw. Violations and outside illegal logging, have contributed to
\nthe speedy devastation of Indonesia's forests.<\/p>\n
There are 412 logging companies operating on around 37 million
\nhectares of forest areas. The total area is roughly triple the
\nsize of Java Island.<\/p>\n
More than two million hectares of forest suffer destruction
\nevery year, and if the trend continues, as the World Bank warns,
\nIndonesia could lose the lowland forests in Sumatra and
\nKalimantan in 2005 and 2010 respectively.<\/p>",
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