Team set up to preserve rainforest<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Two ministers agreed yesterday to form a special
\nteam to coordinate work on some important environmental issues
\nwhich include genetic property rights, nature conservation,
\nindigenous people and eco-tourism.<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry Djamaloedin Soeryohadikoesoemo said in a
\njoint press conference with the State Minister of Environment
\nSarwono Kusumaatmadja yesterday that they were going to help form
\nthe team.<\/p>\n
Director General of Forest Protection and Nature Preservation
\nSutisna Wartaputra will cooperate with Assistant Minister of
\nCoordination Surna Djajadiningrat to lead the new group.<\/p>\n
Djamaloedin said that the team will conduct a number of
\nactivities, ranging from conducting research on rainforests and
\nbiodiversity to monitoring the reforestation program.<\/p>\n
He added that the objective of the team is to prepare programs
\ndealing with both national and international environmental
\nissues.<\/p>\n
\"For instance, in promoting our timber products,\" he said,
\nafter having a 75-minute meeting with Sarwono in his office.<\/p>\n
Both ministers shared the view that forestry and environmental
\nissues in a country like Indonesia, which has the third largest
\nforest reserves in the world, are related subjects.<\/p>\n
\"Foreigners abroad usually regard me as the Minister of
\nForestry. They always raise questions about rainforest,\" Sarwono
\nsaid, telling his colleague that he cannot do anything but answer
\nthe questions.<\/p>\n
Djamaloedin noted that a number of issues, such as the
\ntransformation of a wild life reserve into a national park, the
\nright of indigenous people, land use, and mangrove preservation
\nare also included in the tasks of the team.<\/p>\n
He added that the team will work together with the Ministry of
\nHome Affairs, the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas)
\nand the National Land Agency (BPN). He also said that, in certain
\ncases, the team can also work with the Ministry of Foreign
\nAffairs, the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications as
\nwell as the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).<\/p>\n
Indigenous<\/p>\n
Prior to the formation of the team, Sarwono said that some
\nministers had regularly set up temporary commissions to deal with
\nsome important issues.<\/p>\n
\"But did not prove to be effective enough,\" he said, pointing
\nout at the case of Dayak Bentian tribespeople in East Kalimantan,
\nwhose traditional forests were made into a timber concession in
\n1993.<\/p>\n
The tribe had repeatedly protested and demanded the government
\nto revoke the license of the timber firm, PT Hutan Mahligai,
\nbecause it is destroying their habitat.<\/p>\n
According to Sarwono, poor coordination between ministerial
\noffices and local governments had hampered the solution of the
\nproblem to date. Both the tribe and the timber firm cannot work
\nsatisfactorily due to the ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot always solve this kind of problem case by case,\" he
\nsaid. He added that as long as the rights of indigenous people
\nare not legally recognized such problems will always recur.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia could learn from Costa Rica which had recognized
\nthe property rights of its indigenous people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Citing another example, Djamaloedin said that Indonesia, one
\nof the world's richest countries in terms of biodiversity, had
\nnot even looked into taking advantage of its genetic property
\nrights.<\/p>\n
He said that foreign researchers could easily conduct
\ninvestigations here and return home to produce modern and
\nexpensive drugs based on the research.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian people themselves have to pay for the drugs
\nwhich are protected by intellectual property rights,\" he said.
\n(09) Kalimantan --Page 8<\/p>",
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