EU holds forest data seminar

EU holds forest data seminar

JAKARTA (JP): The European Union's Forest Inventory and
Monitoring Project (FIMP-EU), in cooperation with the Ministry of
Forestry and Plantations' Directorate General of Inventory and
Forest Land Use, is holding a four-day conference on data
management using remote sensing and Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) for tropical forest land inventories.

Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution, in his
speech read by Director General of Inventory and Forest Land Use
Soebagyo Hadisepoetro, said at the opening of the conference on
Monday that the government would continue developing the use of
remote sensing and GIS because the two systems could provide
accurate and up-to-date data and information on the country's
forest resources.

"Demands for the availability and accessibility of tropical
forest data and information are increasing in line with community
concerns on the vital role of tropical forests. In Indonesia,
reliable forest information is needed because it will be the
basis of government policies on forest management," Muslimin
said.

The conference, attended by scientists, businesspeople, and
practitioners from 16 countries, ends on Thursday. (gis)