Concessions damaging rain forests
Concessions damaging rain forests
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry Djamaloedin
Soeryohadikoesoemo yesterday aired his concern over ongoing
environmental destruction which has caused water shortages on
Java Island and desolation of rain forests on other islands.
"On islands other than Java, concessionaires still log forests
without following the principles of sustainability. They focus on
their own profit-oriented objectives," Djamaloedin said during a
swearing in a ceremony for forestry officials here.
He instructed ministry officials to increase control and
supervision over the operations of concessionaires. He warned
repeatedly that international communities are also watching the
way Indonesia manages its rain forests.
Based on the latest satellite analysis, Indonesia, which holds
the third largest area of forests in the world, currently has 113
million hectares of forests, which hold some 2.4 billion cubic
meters of timber.
The Indonesian government, in a bid to preserve forests while
exploiting them, has introduced a selective cutting program,
which prohibits timber firms from cutting trees with a diameter
of less than 50 centimeters.
Timber companies are required -- amid the acknowledgement of
government officials that law enforcement is still in question --
to replant the exploited forests within a 35-year harvesting
program.
Djamaloedin said yesterday that local administrations will be
asked to become shareholders in certain privately-run timber
estates to help control their forest management.
He said the companies to be designated are those which have
proven to be unable to function properly under the government's
program.
Challenge
In a related development, the minister briefed officials of
his ministry about the challenge of rimbawan -- an Indonesian
word for people working in or making a living from forests. This
matter has become an increasingly complicated one.
He said the issue has developed in such a way as to exhibit a
number of aspects such as economic, social, environmental and
political elements.
The minister pointed out that in the 1950s, the only rimbawan
issue was that of technical methods used in the development of
teakwood forests in Java.
In the 1970s, the issue became entwined with the boom of
timber industries, during which concessionaires outside of Java
were allowed to exploit forests with minimum supervision.
"The activity of forestry nowadays deals with not only
planting, logging and selling timber, but also with the socio-
economic aspects of the society, the global environment and bio-
diversity," Djamaloedin said.
"The water supply is a big problem now, while on the other
hand, the soil deprivation and the need for timber is still going
on following the rise of population and the more rapid pace of
development."
Djamaloedin yesterday inducted six officials, I Gusti Made
Tantra, Soewardi, Amir Hamzah, Abas T.S., Hubertus Johannes
Andries and Hartadi, to take new posts in the ministry.
He told the newly inducted officials that the most important
political issue in terms of forestry is the benefit of forests
for people living around them.
"Those people traditionally depend on forests for their
day-to-day necessities. Most of them are not well educated and
have not enjoyed the results of our development," he said, urging
his ministry's officials to develop an appropriate approach to
cooperating with the people.
He said that the indigenous people do not necessarily live in
under-developed communities. He cited the fact that those local
people have comparative advantages to so-called modern
communities. (09)