Govt declares karst conservation zone in three provinces
Govt declares karst conservation zone in three provinces
Slamet Susanto and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post/Yogyakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono kick-started on Monday a drive
to conserve the country's karst by declaring protected a 154,000-
square-kilometer stretch of the limestone caverns covering three
provinces.
The conversion of the karst -- which span Kebumen regency in
Central Java, Gunung Kidul in Yogyakarta and Pacitan in East Java
-- into a protected zone, however, would force over 50,000 local
people who had been quarrying limestone to stop their means of
livelihood.
However, Susilo promised that the conservation effort aimed to
improve the welfare of those who lived in the vicinity of the
protected areas.
"Apart from the objective of conserving the karst region, the
conversion also constitutes an integrated development effort to
improve the welfare of locals, who are known to live in arid,
underdeveloped and destitute conditions," he said during a
ceremony in the Gunung Kidul capital of Wonosari.
He said the government, due to technological and financial
constraints, would seek foreign aid to realize the project.
Susilo said the tri-provincial pilot project marked a move
toward full protection for karst regions throughout the country.
The government has also set its sights on conserving the
Lorentz karst in Papua, the Maos karst in South Sulawesi and the
Sangkulirang karst in East Kalimantan.
Limestone caves in the regions had continually been plundered
by locals, who stripped the limestone structures of naturally
forming stalactites and stalagmites.
Five ministerial institutions will be involved in the
development and management of the protected karst zones: the
Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of
Forestry, the Ministry of Public Works, the Office of the State
Minister of the Environment and the Office of the State Minister
of Culture and Tourism.
Energy minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the institutions
would carry out several projects related to their specific
fields.
"The energy ministry, for example, will conduct research to
determine which areas of the region can be quarried. The public
works ministry will develop infrastructure to deliver water to
the local population, the culture and tourism office will develop
tourism from existing caves, the environment office will
concentrate on natural conservation and the forestry ministry
will handle the protected forests in the area," he said.
Local officials, however, have said conserving the karst zone
would be an uphill challenge.
"It will be impossible to stop the stalactite and stalagmite
pillaging immediately, because those who exploit the caves
illegally do it for a living," Gunung Kidul deputy regent Subechi
said.