Government to clamp down on unchecked tree felling

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Fast losing its precious forests often tagged "lungs of the earth" due to unchecked logging, Indonesia is tightening the rules on forest exploitation.

As of 2003, all forest concession holders are required to obtain government-approved sustainable forest management certification or lose their licenses.

The government will soon be working on legislation to be completed by the end of next year, Minister of Forestry Mohamad Prakosa told journalists on Monday after meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"The president is determined to revoke the licenses of all recalcitrant concession holders," Prakosa told journalists.

Under the plan, the government will appoint an independent institute, such as the Indonesian Ecolabelling Agency, to issue the certification and to review the concession holders' compliance on regular basis.

The technical details have yet to be worked out.

Ten percent of the world's tropical forests are in Indonesia. The government has been under constant criticism for its failure to control illegal logging, which involves not only log theft but also concession holders who cut trees outside their areas. Indiscriminate logging is also a major problem.

A report from the World Bank says that Indonesian forest area reduces by 1.5 million hectares a year. Currently only some 20 million hectares are left.

Prakosa said the government was serious about enforcing the latest policy. The government has registered 375 forest concession holders in the country.