RI forest concessions restructured<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A ministerial decree will force the merger of
\n195 forest concessions into a smaller number in the coming five
\nyears under a new management system aimed at assuring the
\nsustainability of Indonesian forests.<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo said here
\nyesterday that the decree requires concessionaires operating
\nunder the existing HPH system to convert their holdings to
\nProduction Forest Management Units (KPHPs) when their licenses
\nexpire.<\/p>\n
There are currently 500 concessionaires operating under the
\nHPH system.<\/p>\n
\"The KPHP concept was defined under the Minister of Forestry's
\nDecree No. 200\/II\/1991 to gradually replace the HPH system to
\nguarantee sustainable management,\" the minister told a forest
\nmanagement seminar which was sponsored by his ministry and the
\nOverseas Development Administration (ODA) of Britain here
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
HPH concessionaires currently exploit forests, whose widths
\nrange from 20,000 to 2,000,000 hectares, under 20-year
\ngovernment-issued licenses.<\/p>\n
The HPH system has been criticized by various environmental
\ngroups, as well as the World Bank, which estimates that about 1.1
\nmillion hectares of Indonesian forests are destroyed annually.<\/p>\n
Djamaludin conceded recently that Indonesia has only 113
\nmillion hectares of forest, holding some 2.4 billion cubic meters
\nof logs, whereas the previous claim was 141 million hectares.<\/p>\n
\"Our immediate target is to change the soon-to-expire 195 HPH
\nconcessions into KPHPs by 1999,\" Djamaludin said yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"In 25 years, we expect that all HPH concessions on islands
\nother than Java will be converted to KPHPs,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Permanent<\/p>\n
A KPHP concession, in contrast to the HPH, is designed to be a
\npermanent production forest with an average area of 100,000
\nhectares and will be managed on a long-term basis by a permanent
\nmanager. No part of the KPHP may be cleared for other businesses.<\/p>\n
The new system, in short, aims to facilitate a more certain
\ndegree of forest sustainability by keeping the total growing
\nstock constant and by maintaining a fixed concession area.<\/p>\n
The KPHP method, in contrast to the HPH system, also hopes to
\nmobilize \"significant participation\" from the provincial
\nauthorities and their communities. How the local communities will
\nparticipate in the KPHP management activities has yet to be
\nregulated.<\/p>\n
Two KPHP pilot projects, one in Central Kalimantan and the
\nother in Jambi, have been carried out since 1992.<\/p>\n
The territorial-based KPHP system, in practice, is expected to
\nencourage a series of mergers among neighboring HPH
\nconcessionaires.<\/p>\n
However, various technical shortcomings, such as the lack of
\nsophisticated maps able to distinguish concessions' boundaries,
\ncould possibly delay the new system.<\/p>\n
Indro Tjahjono, an executive of the Indonesian Working
\nSecretariat of Forest Protection (Skephi), told The Jakarta Post
\nthat the implementation of the KPHP system might have to wait for
\nat least one year until such maps are obtained by the Ministry of
\nForestry.<\/p>\n
Indro said that, unfortunately, he did not expect the KPHP
\nsystem to encourage better inter-ministerial coordination in
\nforest protection. (hdj)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-forest-concessions-restructured-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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