Mining in protected forests<\/p>\n
From Media Indonesia<\/p>\n
As a citizen of a large and respectable country, I fully
\nsupport the government's policy to allow 15 mining companies to
\noperate in protected forests.<\/p>\n
Indonesia must honor its agreements or contracts with other
\ncountries. In the case of these mining activities, when the
\ncontracts were signed, the proposed mining areas had not yet been
\nidentified as protected forest.<\/p>\n
Therefore, some non-governmental organization (NGO) activists
\nwere wrong when they accused State Minister of the Environment
\nNabiel Makarim of being ignorant of regulations. Nabiel knows the
\nregulations well. If he did not, he would not have allowed many
\nother mining companies to operate in these protected forests.<\/p>\n
In future, when the government fosters cooperation or inks
\nagreements with other parties, it must consider the long-term
\neffect of these deals and must also base them on broad interests.<\/p>\n
In the case of these 15 mining companies, the government can
\nexercise tight control over their mining activities to minimize
\ntheir impact on the environment.<\/p>\n
At this juncture, NGO activists, who are mostly intellectuals,
\ncan play their role. They may help find solutions to the problems
\non the ground. If they detect something wrong, they should also
\nbe ready to propose a solution.<\/p>\n
D. NOVINA, Bogor, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mining-in-protected-forests-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }