Govt told to create more protected forests

Govt told to create more protected forests

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Kuningan, West Java

Kuningan's Regency government should change the status of
thousands of hectares of landslide-prone land in the area into
protected forests, the regency's council said.

The call was made in order to avoid more fatal landslides in
the future, which cost residents dearly, the council said.

Council speaker Ading Ahyadi said about 7,000 hectares of land
prone to landslides needed to be conserved immediately.

"Most of the areas are deforested hills. We suggest the
government declare those areas protected forests, so that it can
begin reforestation," he said.

After the areas were reforested, the government was obliged to
protect the forests from illegal logging or other actions that
would remove the trees, Ading said.

The council had earlier proposed the drafting of a bylaw
prohibiting people from building houses in the affected areas, he
said.

"These proposals are aimed at preventing landslides in
Kuningan, which happen almost every time rain falls."

Ading said he had conveyed the proposals directly to the
regent, who had welcomed the suggestions.

Kuningan regent Aang Hamid Sugandi said he had met officials
from the Ministry of Forestry and state-run forest management
company PT Perhutani, who also supported the plan to turn the
areas into protected forests.

Aang believed residents would not resist the idea.

"We have support from local residents in our area to turn
their lands into protected forests," he said.

The 7,000 hectares of land are located in the southern Subang
and Selajambe districts, which border with the Ciamis regency.

In early January this year landslides cut three separate roads
connecting the Selajambe, Subang and Darma districts in the
regency. Landslides also damaged dozens of houses. No fatalities
were reported.

The worse incident happened in January last year, when a
landslide hit the Cantilan subdistrict in Selajambe district,
killing 10 local residents.

The landslide was caused by a 40-meter high hill collapsing
into three houses, burying 11 residents. Only one escaped.

According to data from the Kuningan Forestry Office, the
Kuningan Regency has 42,811 hectares of forest areas.