JP/4/conserve

JP/4/conserve

Limited funds, expertise blamed for area damages

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Denpasar

More than 20 percent of natural resources in over 450
conservation areas across Indonesia have been extremely depleted
due to lack of government funds and poor expertise in managing
them, an official said on Monday.

"Social conflict that has damaged the conservation areas is
also a factor," said Adi Susmianto, conservation director at the
Ministry of Forestry.

He was speaking at a seminar on Management Planning for
Protected Marine Areas held in Sanur, Bali.

Poor coordination among relevant authorities in the field in
conserving those areas is also part of the problem, Adi said.

This exacerbates the situation as illegal logging is able to
continue unchecked in conservation areas, where there is also a
prevalence of forest fires, fish procurement using explosives,
coral reef procurement by chemicals, reef destruction resulting
from the use of boat anchors and environmentally unfriendly
tourism activities.

"For example, diving and snorkeling activities in marine
conservation waters. Beginners could easily step on coral reefs
when diving, which could destroy the reefs," said Adi.

He called for collaboration between the government and
relevant authorities as well as local people in protecting
conservation areas.

All parties should be ready to sign an agreement to jointly
manage those areas, he added.

"We will no longer apply a top-down policy like in the past,
but bottom-up instead in determining conservation areas. We will
have to wait for proposals from local administrations to decide
whether certain areas should be declared conservation areas."

Adi said the top-down policy had, however, proven effective in
managing conservation areas as applied in the Wakatobi National
Park in Sulawesi, where law enforcement against illegal loggers
and settlers was improving with support from local authorities.

As a result, every policy issued on the conservation area had
been seriously upheld by legal and security authorities there, he
added.

Adi also said his office would soon announce at least 12 new
conservation areas in Indonesia, including two marine parks
respectively in Togian in Central Sulawesi, and Sepanjang island
in Madura, East Java.

Other conservation areas will be Tessonilo in Riau province,
Sebangau in Central Kalimantan, Kawah Ijen in East Java, Lolo
Bata in Maluku, Aketa Jawe in North Maluku, the mountainous
Muller area in Central Kalimantan and Bantimurung Bulusaraung in
South Sulawesi.

"The remaining three are the Batang Gadis, Merapi and Merbabu
national parks respectively in Sumatra and Central Java," said
Adi.

The new 12 will bring the number of conservation areas in the
country to up to 460, he added.