Privatizing park management: Is it workable ?<\/p>\n
By Winarta Adisubrata<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The state of nature conservation and park
\nmanagement in Indonesia can be broken down into two aspects: what
\nis threatening them and what is being done about the threats.<\/p>\n
A striking example of one such threat was reflected in a small
\nnews item in this newspaper on May 31, which mentioned that
\nKomodo National Park and the seas near the island of Flores boast
\n900 marine species are endangered and in need of protection. Sad
\nas it is, such news comes to us from almost everywhere in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Other major threats are transmigration, land clearing and
\nlogging, all of which reduce or alter natural habitat areas for
\nwildlife outside Java. Indonesia has stopped exporting logs and
\nnow government only allows the export of timber-based products.
\nHowever, transmigration and land use for plantations and
\nindustrialization are still used to support national and economic
\ndevelopment. The logical consequence has been a reduction in the
\navailability of pristine tropical forest as well as the domain of
\nboth plants and animal species, many of which are facing
\nextinction.<\/p>\n
Based on its National Conservation Plan, Indonesia has put 30
\nmillion hectares, or roughly 15 percent of its land area, under
\nsome form of protection. Many conservationists believe that if
\nthis many hectares can really be protected, most mammals, birds
\nand reptiles will be conserved along with most plant life. The
\nreal problem is to protect areas on the ground that are protected
\non paper. But as usual it is always easy to say what needs to be
\ndone, and much more difficult to do it.<\/p>\n
At present Indonesia has 31 national parks, together with
\nhundreds of conservation areas. Though the Javanese tiger is
\nalready extinct, Java still has leopards, wild cattle and lots of
\ndeer and pigs. Ujung Kulon, by any criteria an excellent natural
\nreserve area, is not the only national park in Java. There are
\nalso the Bromo Tengger, Meru Betiri and Baluran parks in East
\nJava. There is the Merapi nature conservation area in Central
\narea and some others in West Java.<\/p>\n
These areas are under increasing pressure, but the challenge
\nto the land-use planner is to make the advantages of preserving
\nthese areas as parks more apparent.<\/p>\n
As an example, Cibodas is a very important water protection,
\nor catchment area that feeds Jakarta and Bandung -- two of the
\nbiggest cities in Indonesia -- in addition to the whole
\npopulation of West Java. Maintaining the Cibodas forest, which
\ncan best be done by making it a national park, helps agriculture
\nin the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n
This is the sort of linkage to productivity that will help
\nmeet Indonesia's needs, especially under heavy population
\npressure, as is happening in Java.<\/p>\n
If we look at Irian Jaya, which is four to five times the size
\nof Java but with a population of only two million people, we have
\ngreat latitude to set aside areas without disturbing the local
\npopulation. We may have to move a few people but such a small
\npopulation probably would not adversely affect the reserve.<\/p>\n
Or take the Dumoga reserve in North Sulawesi. It surrounds an
\narea that has received a major loan from the World Bank. The
\nwater supply in this area is critical, and if the forest in the
\nwatershed area is cleared, there will be a big problem with dry
\nseason water flows. Protecting the area as a national park should
\nbe seen as a land-use tool for protecting the watershed area for
\nthe irrigation project in the lowlands.<\/p>\n
Here again we have a linkage: If we clear the forest and try
\nto farm the hillsides we will disrupt lowland agriculture. If we
\ndo not attack these problems in the short term, the situation
\nwill definitely get worse.<\/p>\n
Among the most striking examples is Cibodas. Parts of the
\nforests of Cibodas are being cut down for villas, golf courses
\nand real estate. It is not impossible that some of the money
\nwould find its way into the pockets of local people. But when the
\nrainy season comes we will have floods in Jakarta and during the
\ndry season we will have droughts.<\/p>\n
The present situation in the Cibodas and Puncak areas must
\nalert us to what may happen next. We can only commiserate with
\nJeff McNeely, a WWF Indonesia Program official based in Bogor
\nmore than a decade ago, that we no longer have Prof. Emil Salim
\nas minister of environment.<\/p>\n
Emil, an economist with a reputation for honesty and fairness,
\ncame into the environmental field from outside, bringing with him
\na nationalistic and economic perspective. He has been able to
\neffectively transmit environmental concerns to many, from cabinet
\nmembers and the President to students and religious leaders. He
\nhas been very effective in showing that economic development and
\nthe maintenance of a healthy environment are inseparable.<\/p>\n
This led to a statement recently by the deputy minister of
\nenvironment, Dr. Surna Djajadiningrat, who said that privatizing
\nnational park management will help nature conservation in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Is such a policy workable?<\/p>\n
Two things are likely to hinder it. First is profit making,
\nthe main motivation of any private enterprise. Secondly, the
\nmachinery to manage a park or any nature conservation area does
\nnot begin and end with the Ministry of Forestry.<\/p>\n
Many international bodies -- like the International Union for
\nConservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the United Nations
\nEnvironment Program, the United Nations Development Program, the
\nFood and Agriculture Organization and the Worldwide Fund For
\nNature -- are also involved from time to time. Not to mention the
\nWorld Bank, Asian Development Bank and others.<\/p>\n
The routine job of park management demands huge funding as
\nwell as experience, expertise and staffing, all of which are
\nbadly needed in this country. Investment returns, if any, will be
\nslow in coming.<\/p>\n
However, there are some suitable non-profit bodies. The
\nAudubon Society is an American, non-governmental organization
\nwith its own land to maintain its interest, and the Worldwide
\nFund for Nature, a world body with decades of experience in
\nsupporting developing countries through expertise and funding in
\nthe management and maintenance of conservation areas.<\/p>\n
However, as non-profit organizations, neither have direct
\nexperience in managing national parks. Indonesia has had some
\nexperience, not in entrusting park management to any private
\ncompany, but in making use of certain park zones as tourist
\ndestination areas.<\/p>\n
When Rubini Atmawidjaya was director general of forest
\nprotection and nature conservation in the 1980s he challenged the
\nprivate sector to make use of the productive zones of parks for
\ntourism. Within the boundaries of Meru Betiri National Park in
\nEast Java, the Leuser National Park in Aceh and Bali Barat
\nNational Park, there are now simple cottage-style accommodation
\nfacilities run by private parties.<\/p>\n
In Bali Barat park a travel agent has been given a special
\npermit to bring in tourists for underwater sports like scuba
\ndiving and snorkeling while providing accommodations and guides.
\nTourists can also be taken to Menjangan Island, which is within
\nBali Barat park.<\/p>\n
But overall, the management of our national parks as part of
\nour efforts to conserve nature should remain the duty and
\nresponsibility of the government.<\/p>\n
The writer the corresponding member of the IUCN's Commission
\non Education.<\/p>",
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