Forest rangers needed

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.