{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1254075,
        "msgid": "late-audit-puts-forest-permits-in-limbo-1447893297",
        "date": "2002-10-08 00:00:00",
        "title": "Late audit puts forest permits in limbo",
        "author": null,
        "source": "JP",
        "tags": null,
        "topic": null,
        "summary": "Late audit puts forest permits in limbo Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta As many as 116 logging concessionaires, whose licenses have expired, has been in limbo for months because the government has delayed approval of the extension of their licenses.",
        "content": "<p>Late audit puts forest permits in limbo<\/p>\n<p>Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n<p>As many as 116 logging concessionaires, whose licenses have<br>\nexpired, has been in limbo for months because the government has<br>\ndelayed approval of the extension of their licenses.<\/p>\n<p>Lumisu Mangiwa, director of forest exploitation planning at<br>\nthe Ministry of Forestry, said the independent consultants<br>\nassigned to audit the concessionaires had not started their work<br>\nyet because the ministry was waiting for the approval of funds.<\/p>\n<p>The Ministry of Finance has promised to finance the audit but<br>\nit has not been able to release the funds for the auditors<br>\nbecause the Ministry of Finance had not yet approved the<br>\ndisbursement for unclear reasons.<\/p>\n<p>\"The auditors should have started their work in September this<br>\nyear, but they could not do that due the financial problem,\"<br>\nLumisu said.<\/p>\n<p>Lumisu added that the ministry had asked the logging<br>\nconcessionaires to shut down their operations temporarily while<br>\nwaiting for their new license approval.<\/p>\n<p>The 11,000 workers employed in the 116 concessionaires face<br>\njob uncertainty, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The Ministry of Forestry has selected 12 consultants, dubbed<br>\nby the ministry as the \"independent verification institute\"<br>\n(LPI), to help the ministry determine whether logging<br>\nconcessionaires have applied sustainable principles in their<br>\noperations.<\/p>\n<p>Based on the results of the assessment by the forest auditors,<br>\nthe government will decide whether to revoke the concessionaires'<br>\nlicenses or allow them to continue their operations.<\/p>\n<p>The Ministry of Forestry has proposed some Rp 148 billion<br>\n(US$16.4 million) in funds for the auditors.<\/p>\n<p>Each auditor will be paid Rp 300 million in fees and operating<br>\ncosts for auditing one concessionaire. One auditor is expected to<br>\naudit 10 concessionaires a month.<\/p>\n<p>There are 412 logging companies operating on around 37<br>\nmillion hectares of forest area. The total area is roughly triple<br>\nthe size of Java Island.<\/p>\n<p>More than two million hectares of forest suffer destruction<br>\nevery year, and if the trend continues, as the World Bank warns,<br>\nIndonesia could lose the lowland forests in Sumatra and<br>\nKalimantan in 2005 and 2010 respectively.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/late-audit-puts-forest-permits-in-limbo-1447893297",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}