NGOs join forces in forest management<\/p>\n
Hyginus Hardoyo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
British and Indonesian non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
\ndealing with forestry issues have underlined the importance of
\npromoting the sustainable and equitable management of Indonesia's
\nforests.<\/p>\n
Liz Chidley of the London-based Down to Earth (DTE), an
\ninternational organization campaigning for ecological justice in
\nIndonesia, said on Friday that NGOs in the UK fully supported
\ntheir Indonesian counterparts in urging the Indonesian and UK
\ngovernments to take further action to promote the sustainable and
\nequitable management of forests in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Chidley made the remarks in response to the signing of a
\nmemorandum of understanding (MOU) by Indonesia and the UK on the
\nprotection of tropical rainforests.<\/p>\n
The MOU was signed by Indonesian Minister of Forestry M.
\nPrakosa and the undersecretary of the UK Department for
\nInternational Development, Hilary Benn, in London on Friday.<\/p>\n
The MOU sets out how the two countries will cooperate on
\nforest law enforcement and governance to combat illegal logging
\nand the international trade in illegally felled timber and wood
\nproducts.<\/p>\n
Chidley said her organization welcomed the signing of the
\nagreement, but urged the Indonesian government to recognize the
\nrights of forest dwellers as part of the effort to help save the
\ncountry's disappearing forests.<\/p>\n
The goal is sustainable forest management and better lives for
\nforest people, she said.<\/p>\n
Forest dwellers are still being evicted from their land to
\nmake way for logging, plantations and mines backed by foreign
\ncapital, including British companies, she said in a statement
\nmade available to The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
DTE hopes the agreement will be a fist step toward more
\nfundamental reforms to stop forest destruction -- legal and
\nillegal -- and to prevent community rights violations, Chidley said.<\/p>\n
\"We feel strongly that the British companies should be held
\naccountable for their involvement in operations in Indonesia,
\nwhich lead to gross human rights violations against indigenous
\npeoples and other marginalized communities who depend on forest
\nresources for their livelihoods,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Chidley said her organization signed a joint statement by UK NGOs
\nhanded to Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa, which called for the
\nrecognition of forest-dependent communities' rights, action on
\ncorruption and corporate accountability.<\/p>\n
Hapsoro of Telapak Indonesia, an Indonesian NGO, said non-
\ngovernmental organizations were seriously concerned about the
\nlevel of destruction and degradation of forest resources, caused
\nby misguided forest management policies over many years.<\/p>\n
Such policies have resulted in massive forest destruction and
\nhave negatively affected the livelihoods of millions of local
\npeople and indigenous communities living in forest areas, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The failure to govern forests properly and the corrupt forest
\nmanagement have led to high levels of demand for timber,
\ntriggering uncontrolled logging and the large-scale conversion of
\nnatural forests, according to a joint statement by Indonesian
\nNGOs, including Walhi and the Friends of the Earth Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The destruction of the forests and the resulting ecological
\nimbalances are manifest in various natural disasters throughout
\nIndonesia, such as forest fires, floods and landslides.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, forestry operations continue to use violence and
\nintimidation against forest dwellers.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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