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)