Autonomy raises hopes and fears on fate of environment

Fitri Wulandari The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Environmental destruction in 2001 may not have exceeded that in previous years but was unfortunately just as rapid, with nature continuing to vanish in a blink of an eye.

The land, water and even the air were victims of man's obtuse greed.

Citing a World Bank report, Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa said that at its present rate, Sumatra's forests could vanish by 2005, while Kalimantan would be bare by 2010.

The office of the state minister of environment estimates that deforestation has been sustained at an annual level of nearly 2.4 million hectares. The destruction is mainly caused by illegal logging, forest fires and mining activities.

Marine life is also imperiled.

Data from the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI) shows that only 6 percent of the 75,000 square kilometers of coral reef in the country's oceans are in good condition.

The causes of the destruction were the same as in previous years.

Development had taken place without considering the effects on the environment. Collusion between the government and private sector to plunder natural resources has continued.

These were worsened with the prolonged economic crisis, which prompted people to squander the environment to earn a living.

Worst still, weak law enforcement made irresponsible parties thrive with impunity.

While old dangers lingered, new challenges, if not threats, to the environment in the shape of the introduction of regional autonomy this year began to raise their ugly head.

State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim probably described it best when he said that the advent of regional autonomy, which will see the environment's fate in the hands of local administrations, raised both hopes and fears.

"Regional autonomy raises hopes of better environmental management. But regional autonomy also means that natural resources are a source of regional income," Nabiel said.

While it might still be too early to prophesy doom, the early signs are bleak, as regions are already hastily issuing controversial rulings on exploiting natural resources in a race to boost their coffers.

The right of regions to exploit their natural resources is clearly defined in Article 10 of Regional Autonomy Law No. 22/1999.

The article, however, also states that regions must preserve the environment in accordance with the law.

This open-ended stipulation gives rise to several interpretations as to the extent of permissible exploitation, and to what degree the central government may intervene for the sake of the environment.

It is thus not surprising that the government recently stepped in to stop the potential chaos by deciding to amend the law and introduce stricter guidelines on the issue.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri recently declared that all forest concession holders must obtain government-approved sustainable forest management certification by 2003 or lose their licenses.

In a bid to stem the illegal logging and export of logs, the minister of forestry and minister of industry and trade issued a joint decree banning the export of logs, starting from October.

People's Consultative Assembly Decree No. 9/2001 on agrarian reform and natural resources management prepares the way for better and more sustainable management of natural resources.

The decree will integrate the overlapping control and management of natural resources, the mismanagement of which often leads to environmental destruction, along with recognizing the need for wider public participation and for recognizing traditional rights over natural resources.

The long talked-about debt-for-nature scheme, which would see Indonesia receive debt relief in return for nature conservation, saw progress this year, with Germany being the first country to signal its intent to participate in the program.

While negotiations will continue through next year, the in- principle talks conducted this year have at least laid the foundations with potential creditors.

Once it materializes, the scheme could help ease pressure on the country's huge foreign debt and, at the same time, benefit the environment.

The introduction of unleaded gasoline in Jakarta this year and nationwide by 2003 was a significant step to potentially reducing air pollution.

However, it still needs to be followed up with other strategies, such as the use of clean energy or environmentally friendly vehicles.

The legal battle to save the environment saw various twists and turns, which ended in a rather hollow victory for the environment.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) received a favorable court decision in its legal battle against U.S.-based mining company Freeport this year over the pollution incident at Wanagon Lake.

However, there was little in the court decision to force the company to remedy the overall health degradation caused by the pollution.

The office of the state minister of the environment also won a legal battle against a Malaysian based company, PT Adei Plantation.

These might merely be small victories, but they give hope that in the future, crimes against the environment might not escape the law.

In a seemingly modest drive to address weak law enforcement, the environmental impact control agency (Bapedal) announced a plan this year to hire professional private lawyers to assist in the prosecution of environmental cases. As a follow-up, the office of the state minister of the environment will also establish an in-house team of lawyers.

As 2001 ends, we still have to wait and see if progress will continue next year, particularly as regions begin to take a greater role in the fate of the environment.