Companies extend park conservation agreement

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)