Law enforcement needed to save forests: Soeharto
Law enforcement needed to save forests: Soeharto
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto pledged yesterday that the
government would continue to discipline negligent forest
concessionaires.
Speaking to members of the World Commission on Forests and
Sustainable Development at Merdeka Palace, Soeharto acknowledged
that law enforcement was the only way to protect forests.
Stricter law enforcement could help save the country's forests
from rampant exploitation by irresponsible people, he said.
"Although logging is presently done quite well, the poor
discipline of forest concession-holders -- who cut more than they
are allowed or steal timber from outside their concession areas
-- is often still a threat to the forests."
Soeharto, who spoke without a prepared text, said the
Indonesian government has been handing out forest concessions to
private sector businesses since the 1970s, allowing them to
manage some 30 million hectares of the country's forests
designated for production.
Soeharto was accompanied by State Minister of Environment
Sarwono Kusumaatmadja and a former minister of environment and
population, Emil Salim, who is also Indonesia's representative on
the commission.
Members of the commission included representatives from India,
South Korea, Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia
and Canada.
Soeharto told the commission that disciplinary actions taken
by the Indonesian government would include the revocation of
concessions and the transferal of operations to other more
capable companies, including state-owned firms.
Soeharto said the penalties would comply with Indonesia's 1945
Constitution, which states that natural resources must be used
for the maximum benefit of the people.
"We develop forests without destroying, because the natural
resources must be used by future generations," he said.
The government claims the country presently has 144 million
hectares of forest land, of which 30 million hectares (21
percent) are designated as protection forests (for water and soil
protection); 19 million hectares (13 percent) as nature reserves
and national parks (for nature preservation and genetic
conservation); 31 million hectares (22 percent) as limited
production forests; 33 million hectares (23 percent) as regular
production forests; and 30 million hectares (21 percent) as
convertible forests.
The government classifies protection forests, nature reserves
and national parks as totally protected areas and off limits to
felling. (pwn)
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