Ministry revoked 86 timber permits over last 10 years<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government revoked logging contracts of at
\nleast 86 companies from 1988\/1989 until April this year for
\ncontravening forestry regulations, a top official of the Ministry
\nof Forestry and Plantations said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Director General of Forest Utilization Harnanto H.
\nMartosiswojo said the contracts covered more than 5 million
\nhectares.<\/p>\n
Many timber companies are still violating forestry regulations
\ndespite stricter governmental supervision, he said, adding that
\nfirms guilty of minor offenses received penalties either in the
\nform of a reduced production quota or fines.<\/p>\n
\"As of September of this 1998\/1999 fiscal year (beginning in
\nApril), at least 10 timber companies were found to be violating
\nregulations. They were fined Rp 2.75 billion,\" he told a hearing
\nwith Commission III of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Harnanto said that in the previous fiscal year, 27 timber
\ncompanies were found guilty of violations and were fined a total
\nof Rp 15.20 billion.<\/p>\n
Offenses included the cutting of trees outside designated
\nconcession areas, exceeding production quotas, building new roads
\nwithout permits and the felling of mature seeding trees which are
\nthe vital genetic foundation of the forest.<\/p>\n
Harnanto said 120 other companies had their timber quota
\nslashed to 60 percent due to their poor records.<\/p>\n
He said companies must meet several requirements for their
\nlogging quota to remain in effect.<\/p>\n
\"If the timber companies fail to meet one of the requirements,
\ntheir logging quota will be reduced,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Legislators urged the ministry to be tougher in clamping down
\non violators by also suing them for breaching the regulations and
\nthe civil code.<\/p>\n
They said penalties of revoking contracts and imposing a lower
\nproduction quota had failed to deter forest concessionaires from
\ndestroying forests and the environment.<\/p>\n
\"When their concessions permits are revoked, it is the
\ngovernment which in fact suffers the losses because it has to
\nmanage the damaged forests, while the concessionaires have, in a
\nway, benefited from the forests,\" legislator Erham Amin of the
\nruling Golkar faction said.<\/p>\n
The revocation of logging contracts is based on Governmental
\nRegulation No. 21\/1970, which states the forestry ministry will
\nrevoke concessionaires' contracts if they continue to violate
\nregulations after the issuance of three warnings from the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
According to Harnanto, at least 421 private timber companies
\ncurrently work on 51.5 million hectares of the country's forests.<\/p>\n
The six state forestry companies -- the five PT Inhutani
\nenterprises and Perum Perhutani -- oversee logging operations on
\n4.9 million hectares. (gis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ministry-revoked-86-timber-permits-over-last-10-years-1447893297",
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