Military told to stay away from logging<\/p>\n
Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Illegal logging has reached an alarming level with government
\nofficials and environmentalists disoriented about what to do to
\nsave Indonesia's precious rainforests.<\/p>\n
Illegal logging has caused a loss of Rp 30 trillion annually
\nto the state, not to mention the permanent damage rendered to the
\nenvironment, the animals and plants in the forest and of course
\nthe consequences for future generations.<\/p>\n
Mas Achmad Santosa, a noted senior researcher from the
\nIndonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), said that illegal
\nlogging involves organized crime syndicates who are in direct
\ncollusion with the military and police.<\/p>\n
He said that President Megawati Soekarnoputri is gravely
\nconcerned about environmental issues but her cabinet ministers do
\nnot share her interest.<\/p>\n
So in order to succeed, Santosa proposed, saving the forests
\nshould involve joint efforts by the president, the military and
\nthe police. They should present their accountability to the
\npublic on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
Suhariyanto, director for forest protection at the forestry
\nMinistry, said that the European Union has provided funds worth
\naround US$15 million to protect Indonesian forests, but
\nmaintained that Indonesia would not be told what to do by other
\ncountries on managing its forests.<\/p>\n
Santoso went on to add that a proposal for a \"logging
\nmoratorium\" should be put in place until Indonesia has
\ncomprehensive legislation and adequate institutions in charge of
\nforestry to see to it that forests are protected in accordance
\nwith international standards.<\/p>\n
He warned that if the corrupt mentality of military and police
\ndoes not improve, efforts to protect the forest will not be
\nsuccessful.<\/p>\n
\"The Military and Police chiefs should ban their subordinates
\nfrom being involved in the logging business, otherwise all these
\nillegal logging activities will remain,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Statistics at the forestry ministry show that over 18 million
\nhectares, or 45 percent, of the 41 million hectares of production
\nforests managed by 320 concession holders, have been denuded.<\/p>\n
\"The data was collected based on satellite imagery of the
\nforests,\" said Sumarto, chief of the sub directorate for forest
\nprotection at the forestry ministry.<\/p>\n
The forestry minister has painted a bleak picture of forest
\nconservation in the future.<\/p>\n
Over the past three years, forest destruction has been going
\non at an alarming rate of 2.1 million hectares per year due to
\nmismanagement, uncontrolled land clearing, excessive cutting and
\nillegal logging, Sumarto said.<\/p>\n
The remaining Indonesian tropical rain forests are largely in
\nSumatra, Kalimantan and Irian Jaya. Together, with those in other
\ntropical countries, have been dubbed as the \"lungs of the world\"
\nfor releasing oxygen into the atmosphere and absorbing greenhouse
\ngases.<\/p>\n
The disappearing forests also means the disappearance of the
\nlivelihood of more and more of an estimated 60 million people who
\ntraditionally depend on the forest-related work.<\/p>\n
It is understood that deforestation has been continuing at an
\nalarming rate since the fall of former president Soeharto in 1998
\ndue in part to a weakened government. During the Soeharto regime,
\nforest concessions went to his cronies only, and the military
\nmade sure of it, but now, local governments, too, have the
\nauthority to issue the licenses and it has become a chaotic
\nsituation.<\/p>\n
Sumarto confirmed environmental reports that the military and
\npolice have been involved in the logging business, legally or
\notherwise, making the efforts to stop it even more difficult.<\/p>\n
He said that only between 10 and 20 percent of illegal logging
\ncases can be solved.<\/p>\n
Suhariyanto meanwhile, added that the forestry ministry will
\nstart strategic agendas such as illegal logging eradication,
\nforest fire prevention, a lumber industries restructuring
\nprogram, replanting and decentralizing management authority to
\ncope with the deforestation problem.<\/p>\n
\"It will need a strong commitment from everybody to solve the
\nproblem,\" he said.<\/p>",
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