Riau determined to curb illegal logging

Riau determined to curb illegal logging

Ridwan Max Sijabat
The Jakarta Post
Pekanbaru, Riau

Riau plans to review its forestry policy to curb rampant illegal
logging, which contributes to regular flooding in the resource-
rich province, its governor says.

Governor Rusli Zainal said the number of forest concessions
given to businessmen and timber companies was too high and out of
proportion to the size of forests in the province.

"There is no other alternative but to reduce the number of
forest concessions given to timber and plywood companies to
rational numbers in an attempt to salvage the province's
vanishing forests," he said.

Rusli, who became governor several months ago, was speaking at
an award ceremony for companies developing zero accident
policies.

He said he would consult with officials and the regencies to
re-evaluate the province's development policies on forestry.
Deforestation had drastically increased during the past two
decades, he said.

"The vanishing forests have a lot to do with the issue of too
many forest concessions and the great number of sawmills and
other factories using wood as a raw material," he said.

He had received reports that many concession-holders and
sawmills partly sourced their raw materials from illegal logging
in protected areas.

"Environmental activists and the media have stressed the
prevalence of illegal logging, which has damaged the environment
and contributed to annual floods, but local administrations
continue to keep silent," Rusli said.

The governor conceded there was something lacking in the
province's forestry policy. Despite the rapidly vanishing
forests, the volume of log exports from the province appeared to
have accelerated while sawmills and pulp mills continued to
increase their production capacity.

"I have no data at hand, but based on reports I have received
and after several tours of the field, I feel there need to be
concrete measures to salvage the environment and to promote a
sustainable development program," he said.

The province has been facing floods and landslides almost
annually during the rainy season.

Forest areas in the province are home to millions of species
of rare flora and fauna. More than half of Riau's forests have
already vanished -- converted to palm oil plantations and
farmland.