Forestry Ministry collaborates with KDM to address environmental damage in North Bandung

Bandung City (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Forest Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Forestry is preparing measures to regulate environmental damage in the North Bandung area by collaborating with West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi (KDM). “Our plan is to collaborate with Mr KDM. Because local government is an important element in enforcement efforts,” said the Director General of Forest Law Enforcement of the Ministry of Forestry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, in Bandung on Wednesday. Dwi stated that the involvement of local government is key to strengthening supervision and organising forest areas. He added that the Ministry of Forestry is also preparing firm sanctions for any violations found. However, the approach used is not always repressive. “The principle is ultimum remedium, criminal law as a last resort. We also use a restorative approach for recovery,” he said. According to him, the restorative approach is considered more effective in the long term because it not only focuses on enforcement but also on restoring the impacted environmental conditions. So far, he said, the Ministry of Forestry has carried out several enforcement measures in the West Java region, one of which is in the Gunung Halimun Salak National Park area. Dwi added that law enforcement is carried out in stages and measured, involving intelligence activities and the collection of field evidence. He also invited the public to play an active role in environmental supervision by reporting potential violations. “Public participation is very important to detect violations early and accelerate the handling of environmental issues,” he said.