Government asked to limit forestry minister's powers

Government asked to limit forestry minister's powers

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry Marzuki Usman,
reiterating his commitment to protecting the country's forests,
said here on Monday that he would ask President Abdurrahman Wahid
to issue a presidential decree limiting his ministry's authority
in managing the country's forests.

He said that under the proposed decree, the forestry minister
would have to consult with other concerned parties, including
non-governmental organizations and foreign parties, before
exploiting forest resources or converting forests to commercial
use.

He blamed the rampant damage to the country's forests on the
fact that the forestry minister had been given too much power in
managing them.

"It's very important that the President soon issues a
presidential decree. I will ask the President to do so because
such power (vested in the minister) is very dangerous for forest
resources," he told reporters after speaking at an international
conference on the conservation of commercial tropical trees
sponsored by the International Tropical Timber Organization at
Gadjah Mada University.

Marzuki officially opened the conference. Foreign speakers and
participants came from Oregon State University and the Australian
National University, as well from European and Southeast Asian
countries.

He said the country's deforestation rate had reached between
1.5 and 1.6 million hectares per year, which was mainly the
result of illegal logging, excessive logging, uncontrolled forest
cultivation, timber theft and forest fires.

Around 20 million hectares of the country's 120 million
hectares of forest had been damaged, he added.

Marzuki also said that the government would adopt a persuasive
and educative approach, including conducting information
campaigns, rather than repressive measures to curb deforestation.

"No more arrests (by police), no more burning trees (by
companies). We have to leave the past methods behind us or
otherwise our forests will soon be totally destroyed," he said.
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