Minister says reforestation pledge will achieves little<\/p>\n
Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi<\/p>\n
As Indonesia's priceless rainforests continue to disappear at
\nalarming rates, 15 provinces signed an agreement in the South
\nSulawesi town of Malino to replant around 300,000 hectares of
\nbarren land.<\/p>\n
However, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf
\nKalla, speaking at the ceremony, held out little hope it would
\nactually achieve anything.<\/p>\n
The Malino Pledge, was signed at the annual meeting of the
\nNational Movement for Land and Forest Rehabilitation (GNRHL),
\nwhich concluded Friday.<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa also addressed the meeting.<\/p>\n
But several other Cabinet members, including Minister of Home
\nAffairs Hari Sabarno and Minister of the Environment Nabiel
\nMakarim, failed to attend for unspecified reasons, while most
\ngovernors only sent representatives.<\/p>\n
Unlike previous agreements signed in the mountainous resort,
\nYusuf expressed pessimism the agreement would be effective.<\/p>\n
He said regional administrations were not serious about the
\nreforestation program as only South Sulawesi Governor Amien Syam
\nand West Sumatra Governor Zainal Bakar attended.<\/p>\n
Kalla recalled two previous agreements signed in Malino, which
\nhe organized successfully to end the bloody sectarian conflicts
\nin the Central Sulawesi regency of Poso and in Maluku in Dec. 21,
\n2001 and Feb. 11, 2002 respectively.<\/p>\n
He warned that the remaining forest areas would become
\ndesserts within 100 years unless reforestation programs were
\nimplemented immediately, as illegal logging was still rampant.<\/p>\n
Due to illegal logging, Indonesia, once renowned for its large
\ntropical forests, loses up to 2 million hectares of forests
\nannually. Barren or deforested areas now total 56 million
\nhectares across the country.<\/p>\n
Prakosa shared Kalla's opinion that the nation had failed to
\nstop the widespread illegal logging.<\/p>\n
Both ministers could not say why.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Military, National Police and big businesses in
\ncollusions with government figures or authorities are known to be
\nresponsible.<\/p>\n
Many of the logs are sold to neighboring countries such as
\nMalaysia or Singapore for reexport to South Korea, Japan, Taiwan,
\nChina, the United States and Europe who do little to stem the
\nflow.<\/p>\n
Yusuf said Indonesia would continue suffering from annual
\nnatural disasters resulting from deforestation.<\/p>\n
\"Numerous natural disasters will continue to befall the
\ncountry depending on the season. Water crisis, drought and
\nharvest failure have affected the people during the dry season
\nwhile floods and many diseases have claimed lives in the rainy
\nseason and all these disasters have a lot to do with the
\ndeteriorating environment. We have to pay a high price.\"<\/p>\n
Prakosa said that the government would carry out reforestation
\nin phases.<\/p>\n
He said that in the first year in 2002, the government had
\nreplanted 300,000 hectares of barren land and had raised it to
\n500,000 hectares this year.<\/p>\n
\"When the five-year program ends in 2007, a total of 3 million
\nhectares of wasteland across the country will be reforested,\"
\nPrakosa said.<\/p>\n
He said the government had allocated Rp 15 trillion (US$1.7
\nmillion) for the five-year program.<\/p>",
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