Govt weighs logging moratorium in Java

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim said on Friday that his ministry was considering imposing a logging moratorium in Java to prevent extensive natural disasters.

"We're now collecting data as to whether or not it is necessary to implement such a moratorium," Makarim told reporters.

He also said that his ministry was still seeking evidence to arrest those persons responsible for various environmental disasters on the island.

Natural disasters have been rife in Java this year due to massive forest destruction caused by illegal logging activities.

Massive flooding in Jakarta early this year and a landslide in Padusan of Pacet, East Java, that killed over 30 people, are among the natural catastrophes that have shocked the general public.

Many have blamed the government for its reluctance and inability in taking legal action against illegal loggers who have destroyed the forests.

Some, however, believed that legal action against illegal loggers was not the solution, saying that illegal loggers could only be stopped by providing them with alternative jobs.

Analysts said that the forest area in Java was only 3 million hectares, or 23 percent of the total size of the island, less than 30 percent of the minimum size set by Law No. 41/1999 on forestry.

Makarim went on to say that his ministry would not only consider environmental destruction but also the impact of the moratorium on timber businesses.

Forest Watch Indonesia director Togu Manurung said he would support the logging moratorium if the government was serious about taking legal action against illegal loggers.

"Otherwise, the moratorium will be useless," he said.

Togu said the government had so far failed to prove that it was serious in combating illegal logging, as deforestation still continued at an annual rate of 2 million hectares.

"I prefer that the logging moratorium is imposed upon all forests in the country, not only on Java," he said.

A number of non-governmental organizations had called on the government a few years ago to implement a national logging moratorium, but the government disagreed with the call, and planned only to reduce the capacity of logging activities of plywood companies.

Togu went on to say that the moratorium plan might face resistance from local administrations as they would lose income from the industry and suffer higher unemployment.