1m hectares of forests destroyed PA

1m hectares of forests destroyed PA

PEMALANG, Central Java: About one million hectares of tropical
forest in the country are destroyed annually, Minister of
Forestry and Plantations Nur Mahmudi Ismail said here on Monday.

"People have to stop destroying the forests. We have no choice
but to save and preserve our forests. The areas are not there to
be merely looted and demolished," Nur Mahmudi said at the opening
of the week-long National Green Movement in Blendung village
here.

The worrying level of forest destruction is due to constant
timber exploitation and poor planting management and
preservation, he said.

"Forests and plantations make up 60 percent of the country's
190 million hectares of land. But we don't realize how rich we
are in natural resources," Mahmudi said. (har/edt)