Illegal logging costs $609m, environmental destruction<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Widespread illegal logging costs US$609 million annually in
\nenvironmental destruction throughout the country, an expert has
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Senior lecturer at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB)
\nBintang Simangunsong said here on Thursday that the main impacts
\nwere in the form of carbon consumption, landslides, floods and
\nnon-wood product extraction.<\/p>\n
According to Bintang, only 18.9 million hectares of 46.8
\nmillion hectares assessed were primary or virgin forest, while
\n14.3 million hectares were already destroyed, more than half of
\nwhich was due to illegal logging. The destroyed forests could no
\nlonger be expected to produce wood.<\/p>\n
\"This is complete mismanagement of the country's forests by
\nthe government. What can we can do with the damaged forest? --
\nnothing,\" he told a media conference ahead of the Consultative
\nGroup on Indonesia (CGI) meeting next week.<\/p>\n
Bintang said at least 1.45 million hectares of forest were
\nfelled annually, of which only 0.67 million hectares was legal
\nfelling.<\/p>\n
He said carbon consumption in the forests could be worth U$113
\nper hectare, while non-wood products could reach $9 per hectare.<\/p>\n
The government said on Wednesday that illegal logging
\nactivities produced 50.7 million cubic meters of timber annually,
\nresulting in financial losses to the state of at least Rp 30.42
\ntrillion ($3.37 billion).<\/p>\n
According to Bintang, illegal loggers enjoyed most of the
\nincome generated from logging activities.<\/p>\n
\"At least 50 percent of the revenue goes to illegal loggers,
\n30 percent to private companies and the government only gets 20
\npercent,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"This certainly represents a huge transfer of money from the
\npeople to a few illegal loggers and private firms,\" Bintang
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Indonesian military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto
\nacknowledged on Wednesday that certain military personnel were
\nbehind many illegal logging operations in the country and
\npromised to crack down on them.<\/p>\n
TNI and the Ministry of Forestry agreed on Wednesday to set up
\na joint team to go after illegal loggers throughout the country.<\/p>\n
Environmental activists said that overcapacity of the
\ncountry's pulp, saw, and plywood mills had also encouraged people
\nto engage in illegal logging activities.<\/p>\n
According to data issued by the Indonesian Forum for the
\nEnvironment (Walhi), the total capacity of the country's pulp
\nmills, sawmills and plywood factories is 63 million cubic meters
\nper year, while the total legal timber produce is 12 million
\ncubic meters per year, meaning there is an annual shortage of
\nalmost 51 million cubic meters of timber.<\/p>\n
And to make matters worse, the illegal timber is also directly
\nexported to neighboring countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam,
\nChina and India.<\/p>\n
The government has tried to crack down on illegal logging
\nthrough various means, such as agreements with timber importers
\nin receiving countries to refuse illegal timber, and reaching
\nagreements on joint operations with TNI and the police, but the
\nresults are far from satisfactory.<\/p>\n
The joint operation, for example, confiscated only 26,600
\ncubic meters of illegal timber in 2001.<\/p>\n
Walhi called on the government to close down unnecessary pulp,
\nsaw and plywood mills to stop illicit logging activities.<\/p>\n
\"It will be impossible to stop illegal logging in Indonesia
\nwithout addressing the enormous overcapacity in the wood
\nprocessing sector,\" said Longgena Ginting, Walhi's executive
\ndirector.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/illegal-logging-costs-609m-environmental-destruction-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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