Kalimantan forests face desperate threat<\/p>\n
By Miskudin Taufik<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (ANTARA): Expecting the forests of Kalimantan to still
\nbe the lungs of the world in 2001 is only a dream.<\/p>\n
The forest management system here is still inadequate and hot
\nspots caused by underground fires in coal seams continue to pose
\na great threat to the embattled forests of Indonesian Borneo.<\/p>\n
International forest fire experts who have studied the
\nsituation say that underground coal fires are continuing to
\nspread and that it is only a matter of time before huge areas of
\nland -- protected forests, timber estates, smallholder estates
\nand residential areas -- are engulfed in flames.<\/p>\n
\"This is not a new development. It has been a fact since hot
\nspots first appeared in forest areas in the eastern part of
\nKalimantan in 1983,\" said a volunteer forest fire researcher from
\nMulawarman University in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
International concern for forest fires in Kalimantan peaked in
\n1991 and the succession of infernos that raged over the next
\nseven years barely attracted comment, with the sole exception of
\nlast year when the international media once again showed an
\ninterest.<\/p>\n
Forest fires break out every year and are invariably blamed on
\ncoal fires, peat fires or slash and burn farmers.<\/p>\n
And smoke from the fires has plagued nearby countries like
\nMalaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.<\/p>\n
To date there has been no sign that those responsible for
\nstarting the forest fires will be brought to justice.<\/p>\n
When Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam lodged strong
\ncomplaints about the fires in 1997, the Indonesian government,
\nseemed determined to take those allegedly responsible to court.<\/p>\n
\"We will calm down all the protests with judges' rulings,\"
\nthen coordinating minister for people's welfare Azwar Anas said.<\/p>\n
In early 1998 he entered into lengthy negotiations with
\nrepresentatives of Malaysia's National Agency for Disaster
\nManagement aimed at preventing a recurrence of widespread
\nburning.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this desire to take preemptive measures and to
\npunish those responsible for the fires has now waned and the 176
\nforest concessionaires who operate in Kalimantan and Sumatra have
\nresumed their irresponsible destruction of the nation's forests.<\/p>\n
Last month in Riau, Bangkinang District Court ruled in favor
\nof a company accused of burning and destroying the forest. The
\nsame has happened in Palembang, South Sumatra, where of nine of
\n11 companies taken to court by the environmental non-governmental
\norganization Walhi were let off the hook.<\/p>\n
The remaining two companies were simply told to improve their
\nmanagement of the forest and establish a forest fire brigade.<\/p>\n
Worse<\/p>\n
In East Kalimantan, the province worst affected by the fires,
\nthe situation is even worse.<\/p>\n
Local police did interview a number of suspects, but
\nthereafter the trail went cold.<\/p>\n
\"The extent of forest areas destroyed by fire may be more than
\n1 million hectares,\" East Kalimantan deputy governor Chaidir
\nHafids said.<\/p>\n
Chaidir went on the record to express his disappointed at
\nprogress made by the police toward bringing those responsible to
\njustice, despite complaints made by people from all walks of life
\nin the province.<\/p>\n
Non-governmental organizations in Central Kalimantan have
\nexpressed similar disappointment at the fact that absolutely
\nnobody has been brought to trial for starting forest fires.<\/p>\n
\"Who has to pay for the huge losses?\" asked Muhaiddin Amin, a
\nvolunteer from Lambung Mangkurant University in Banjarmasin,
\nSouth Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Muhaiddin is conducting field research into fire damage in
\nproduction and protected forests in Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
Hot spots are detected in East Kalimantan using satellite
\ntechnology belonging to the Regional Agency for Environmental
\nControl (Bapelda) in collaboration with a number of institutions
\nin neighboring countries.<\/p>\n
Joint research conducted by the U.S. mining department-funded
\nCoal Energy Fire Protection Project shows that fires in coal
\nseams running below the forests of East Kalimantan still pose a
\nmajor threat despite the fact that it is currently the rainy
\nseason.<\/p>\n
There are still at least 68 hot spots capable of igniting
\nforests in a number of areas, particularly protected and
\nproduction forests near Balikpapan, Samarinda, Bontang and
\nSangatta.<\/p>\n
\"These hot spots above coal-induced underground fires will
\nroast Kalimantan forests the whole year,\" said Alfred E.
\nWhitehouse, who manages the project.<\/p>\n
He predicted that major forest fires will recur after the La
\nNia effect comes to an end in the middle of next year.<\/p>",
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