Govt criticized over assessment body

Govt criticized over assessment body

Musthofid and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta

National forest watchdogs are questioning the efficiency and
impartiality of the Independent Verification Institute (LPI) set
up by the forestry ministry to assess logging concessionaires,
and the Rp 148 billion fund proposed for its operations.

"I can say, to some extent, it's unnecessary," Togu Manurung
of Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) said on the sidelines of a one-
day dialog on sustainable forest management at Hotel Ibis in West
Jakarta on Tuesday.

"What is the point of spending such a huge amount of money if
it is only to assess the companies' performance, to determine
whether or not they deserve a contract extension? The ministry
could have turned the task to its staff members.

"Many of the ministry's staff make annual visits to
concessionaires' operation sites. They must have obtained data
about the concessionaires that could have been used as a basis
for their own assessment," Togu argued.

LPI, which was established in the aftermath of the Earth
Summit in Johannesburg, is tasked with helping the forestry
ministry determine whether a logging concessionaire is eligible
to continue its operation.

In the past, the task was undertaken by the ministry and its
branches in the provinces.

When asked why the ministry relinquished the strategic role,
forestry ministry secretary-general Wahjudi Wardojo said: "There
is a need for a platform that ensures independency and
objectivity in the assessment."

Wahjudi refused to comment on the amount proposed for LPI's
operations, saying it would have to rely on financial support
from the ministry in its initial stage.

The ministry has yet to get an approval for the fund from the
Ministry of Finance.

LPI comprises representatives of 12 companies selected from
around 90, according to Lumisu Mangiwa, the ministry's director
in charge of forest exploitation planning.

Expected to start operation next month, LPI's immediate task
is to deal with 116 companies which are awaiting the ministry's
approval for an extension of their contracts. There are a total
of 412 concessionaires currently operating throughout Indonesia.

The ministry has also set up a 24-point criteria, or
indicators, based on which LPI will make its assessment.

Togu criticized the ministry's decision not to adopt the SNI
5000 national standard in formulating the criteria. He said the
SNI standard, which is sanctioned by the Indonesian Ecolabelling
Institute (LEI), was a good tool to measure a company's
performance.

"I'm sure if the ministry adopts the SNI 5000, many companies
will not pass the assessment. And the ministry knows that," he
said.

Wahjudi admitted that although LPI's indicators are less
demanding than those of LEI, they are based on the directives of
the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).

Asked about the ministry's decision not to adopt the SNI, he
said: "What we will do is to assess companies' eligibility. It's
not a certification, which they can obtain from the international
ecolabelling body if they want to."

Togu also was skeptical the new body could be partial, given
the fact that one of its members, Forest For Life International
(FFL), is chaired by Mahfud, who is also an official of the
forestry ministry in charge of the research and development
affairs.

FFL cannot be expected to be partial in making the assessment
because of a conflict of interest, Togu argued.

Herry Purnomo, a scientist working for the Center for
International Forestry Research (CIFOR), said the mechanism in
formulating the 24-point criteria was indicative of the
ministry's lack of public-oriented vision.

"The ministry should have discussed the indicators through a
public consultation. The indicators could be bias because they
were made without involving the stake holders," Herry Purnomo
said.

However, Herry added that now that LPI had been established,
people had better keep a watchful eye to monitor its activities.

Strict monitoring of logging practices has been called for,
given the trend that many logging companies have violated the
law. Violations and outside illegal logging, have contributed to
the speedy devastation of Indonesia's forests.

There are 412 logging companies operating on around 37 million
hectares of forest areas. The total area is roughly triple the
size of Java Island.

More than two million hectares of forest suffer destruction
every year, and if the trend continues, as the World Bank warns,
Indonesia could lose the lowland forests in Sumatra and
Kalimantan in 2005 and 2010 respectively.