Forest rangers needed

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: At least 2,000 forest rangers are needed to protect its 17 million hectares of forest from illegal felling and fires, Antara reported.

Quoting forestry office chief H. Robiansyah here on Thursday, the news agency said the province now only has 500 rangers despite the fact that it has the second largest forested area after Irian Jaya.

Robiansyah conceded the shortage was caused by, among other things, the fact that it is the central government in Jakarta that recruits forest rangers.

Ideally, one forest ranger covers 10,000 hectares of forest.

The government announced earlier that over the past 13 years the country has suffered a loss at least 10 million cubic meters of timber from illegal felling.