Govt may revoke concession

Govt may revoke concession

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The provincial administration is
threatening to revoke a forest concessionaire's license for
allegedly destroying a nature reserve on Yapen island, Yapen
Waropen district.

Irian Jaya Deputy Governor Herman Monim was quoted by Antara
as saying Tuesday that he had received reports from locals that
the concessionaire, PT Mamberamo Alas Mandiri, had destroyed the
nature reserve which was home to dozens of protected animal and
plant species.

The local administration has declared Dawai island, East
Yapen, off-limits for industrial development for fear of
pollution and threats to the survival of endangered animals such
as the Cendrawasih bird and wide-winged butterfly.

He said the local administration had granted the company, a PT
Codeco subsidiary, a concession in 1990 to exploit a 696,000-
hectare forest in Jayapura and Yapen Waropen districts.