Eight firms help preserve environment in Kalimantan

Eight firms help preserve environment in Kalimantan

BONTANG, East Kalimantan (JP): Eight private companies
operating around the Kutai National Park here have signed an
agreement to finance the operation of the park, amounting to Rp
945,800,000 (US$397,395) in fiscal 1997/1998.

Kalimantan Governor HM Ardan was present at the signing
ceremony, which took place here Tuesday.

The companies, which operate in the fields of coal, oil and
gas mining, fertilizer and logging, have been accused of
destroying the environment for the sake of economic profit.

Governor Ardan said on the occasion that the newly-signed
accord was quite rare amid such accusations.

The companies are PT Kaltim Prima Coal, Pertamina Sangatta, PT
Pupuk Kaltim, PT Badak NLG, PT Indominco Mandiri, PT Surya Hutani
Jaya, PT Kiani Lestari, and PT Porodisa.

The project, called Friends of Kutai, will also provide
technical support to the park's on-site management.

The aid will be used to continue the 1996/1997 project, said
Nana Supriana, the chairman of the Friends of Kutai steering
committee.

Friends of Kutai was established in 1995 by the eight
companies who said they are genuinely concerned with the
condition of the park.

"We share the responsibility for the existence of the park
because we are not like other companies, who disregard the
ecosystem," said a representative of Pertamina.

Raleigh A. Blouch, UNESCO technical adviser at the park, told
The Jakarta Post that the Friends of Kutai is a unique
organization.

"Other parks only received donations from private companies
but not under a special steering and operational committee, where
the allocation of funds is transparent and discussed openly," he
said.

Moussa-Elkadhum, UNESCO's Jakarta representative, said that
the organization is responsible for coordinating cooperation
between the companies and the park along with the Indonesian
government.

"The companies proposed the project with UNESCO's assistant.
They also negotiated the amount of aid each of them would
donate," Moussa said.

In 1996, the companies donated Rp 370,000,000 to the park
besides the UNDP and UNESCO. The funds were used to finance eight
projects, which included satellite imagery, research and analysis
of settlements within the park, establishment of buffer zones,
tourist facilities and training and equipment for the park's
staff.

In 1936 the park comprised an area of 306,000 hectares, but in
1982 its size decreased to 200,000 hectares. Nine years later,
the width was reduced further to 198,629 hectares.

Ironically, the decrease occurred after the introduction of
mining in the area which caused massive changes in land use, such
as the increase of local residents who were attracted by the
development.

The alteration also resulted in degradation, boundary changes
and infringements.

The mining activities, which were followed by development of
infrastructure and industries, lured illegal settlers. The other
negative consequence was log thefts, some of the loots were also
sold to industries, a UNESCO survey said.

Despite the urgent need to preserve the park, the long history
of degradation, boundary changes, and human encroachment has
highlighted the low priority for its development in government
policy and planning.

The park has survived the long drought seasons and fires which
razed half of the Kalimantan forest between 1982 and 1983.

But finally, the conservation of the remaining Kutai has
attracted the serious attention of the local administration and
the private sector. (12)