Sat, 29 Jul 2000

Companies extend park conservation agreement

JAKARTA (JP): Eight East Kalimantan-based companies united in the Friends of Kutai National Park (Mitra TN Kutai) have agreed to continue their partnership in managing and developing the park, which has been damaged by forest fire and illegal logging.

Along with the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations' Director General of Natural Resources Protection and Conservation (PKA) Harsono, top executives of the firms signed the fifth plan of action here on Friday.

The companies are gas producer PT. Badak NGL, state-owned fertilizer firm PT. Pupuk Kaltim, coal mining companies PT. Indominco Mandiri and PT. Kaltim Prima Coal, state oil company PT. Pertamina and forest concession holders PT. Porodisa, PT. Surya Hutani Jaya, and PT. Kiani Lestari.

"Mitra TN Kutai is an example of the contribution from industries with operational areas near the national park," Harsono said.

The partnership, Harsono said, is the first of its kind in Indonesia and hopefully it can be adopted in 38 other national parks, like Gunung Leuser in Aceh and Komodo in East Nusa Tenggara.

Basically, the activities in the project include damaged area rehabilitation, infrastructure development and increasing community participation in natural resources conservation.

Last year's activities emphasized promotion of the park and included essay writing contests, spots on radio talk shows, and cross country events.

The Mitra TN Kutai was established in 1996, with technical and financial support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

In 1998, the role of UNESCO and UNDP was replaced by USAID- Natural Resources Management Program.

Within four years of its inception, the coalition has raised Rp 4.454 billion in funds. For the current fiscal year, it has collected some Rp 890 million (US$100,000).

"To be honest, the budget only covers the infrastructure," said the chairman of the organizing committee, Tonny Soehartono.

Therefore, Tonny expects more companies to join the project.

The Kutai National Park is located in East Kalimantan, with an area of 200,000 hectares. It contains lowland rainforest with more than 500 species of trees, including the ulin tree (eusideroxylon zwageri) which is endemic to East Kalimantan.

The park is home to the orangutan (pogmo pygmaeus) and 80 percent of Kalimantan's bird species and 50 percent of Kalimantan's mammals.

But the park has been seriously damaged due to forest fire, illegal logging and land clearing. Now, only 30 percent of the area survives.

"We tried to rehabilitate the damaged areas, but the loggers were more powerful. And our budget is limited," Tonny said.(09)