Govt urged to revoke logging permit<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The government should review a forestry concession the Riau
\nGovernor gave to a wood pulp company to log up to 215,000
\nhectares of Riau rain forest, environmentalists say.<\/p>\n
Riau Environmental Forum (Walhi) director Rully Sumanda said
\nthe group was deeply concerned about Governor Rusli Zainal's
\nrecent decision to give a new concession to PT Riau Andalan Pulp
\nand Paper (RAPP). The giant pulp mill belonging to Radja Garuda
\nMas (RGM) Holding Group, would be allowed to log up to 215,000
\nhectares of forests in the Pelalawan, Siak and the Bengkalis
\nareas.<\/p>\n
Rully said the region was home to many protected rare species
\nand known for its rich biodiversity.<\/p>\n
"Walhi appeals to the government to review the governor's
\ndecision that would intensify environment destruction in the
\nprovince, which has been hit badly by floods during the past 10
\nyears due to rapid conversion of its rain forests into
\nplantations," he told The Jakarta Post here on Friday.<\/p>\n
He feared that with the new forestry concession, the
\nprovince's mangrove areas and their ecosystems would be
\ndestroyed.<\/p>\n
The mangrove forests had been buffer-zones for dozens of
\nfishing communities in the three regencies, he said.<\/p>\n
"The existence of the mangrove forests has ensured the supply
\nof fish to the fishermen is maintained and they have
\nsimultaneously protected locals from large tidal waves."<\/p>\n
Elephants and Sumatran tigers also lived in the forests, which
\nwas also an important water catchment area.<\/p>\n
"It would be a good idea if the government reviewed the
\ngovernor's decision, otherwise the decision will cause many
\nenvironmental problems in the future," he said. Recent flooding
\nthat killed dozens of people in the province was a good reason to
\nreplant areas prone to inundation.<\/p>\n
Rully said the governor's decision contravened Law No.
\n41\/1999, which stipulates that only barren areas are allowed to
\nbe replanted as industrial forests (HTI).<\/p>\n
"Riau still has 1.6 million ha of cleared but empty land that
\ncould be given to the pulp mill to be grown into industrial
\nforests."<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives's Commission IV on
\nforestry and plantation said it would convey the groups concerns
\nto forestry minister Malam Sambat Kaban in their next meeting
\nwith him.<\/p>\n
Commission members Imam Syuja and Nurhadi Musawir said other
\ngroups had complained about the decision and they planned to
\nvisit the area themselves.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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