Govt to launch forest conservation campaign

Govt to launch forest conservation campaign

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): The government will launch a national
reforestation and forest conservation campaign in a ceremony here
next month, Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo said.

Djamaludin, who visited Banda Aceh on Tuesday to inspect the
site for the launching ceremony, said the campaign would be
opened by President Soeharto on Dec. 21.

National Solidarity Day is also being commemorated that day,
he said.

Aceh Deputy Governor Zainuddin A.G. said the ceremony would
take place on a hill undergoing reforestation in Lamreh Village,
34 kilometers from Banda Aceh.

Surrounding the area, he said, a total of 100 hectares of
unproductive land were being replanted with trees for an
industrial timber estate managed by the Indonesian Forestry
Society.

Zainuddin said the site was expected to become a water
catchment area and prevent erosion in the future.

A future resort for the governor and high-ranking official
guests is also being built at the site of the ceremony.

Zainuddin said the resort and surrounding grounds would serve
as a tourist site as they were located near a historical fort.

A motor racing circuit and a golf course were being
constructed there, he said.

Djamaludin reminded the local administration that the main
focus of the reforestation program should be the welfare of the
people.

"You must emphasize the social benefits of the program and how
the timber estates can become their source of income," he said.

Djamaludin also asked the local administration to refrain from
moving the local people during the process of constructing the
new resort, as most locals let their cattle graze in the area
and made a living out of farming in this way. (pwn)