Merapi National Park

A report that Kompas daily carried in its Aug. 15, 2002 edition on the plan to make Mount Merapi, a volcano located between Central Java province and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, a national park under the name of Mount Merapi National Park (TNGM) is worth our attention. Head of the sub- directorate for nature reserves of the forestry ministry, Ign. Herry Djoko Susilo, said this national park may be officiated in October this year.

Clearly, all relevant parties must think carefully about a plan to make an area into a national park. As I live in an area directly bordering the forest to be made into this national park, I deem it necessary to suggest to the relevant parties that they should popularize the idea among the locals.

I've heard from people in the area around the future national park that most of them have not been involved in talks about this plan. They said that only some of them, who were thought to be influential, were invited for discussions. That's why the locals suspect that the government only invited those people whom they could persuade to accept their plan without hearing the wishes of the most of the locals, who, actually, will determine the success of nature conservation through the national park concept.

As these locals, especially those of the lowest social class, will determine the success of this plan, allow me to call on the relevant parties to talk to these people and listen to their aspirations, particularly in the determination of zones (core zone, protection zone and utilization/buffer zone). If all, particularly those whose houses border with the national park, are involved, it is expected that in future there will be no misunderstanding between the locals and the management of the national park so that, unlike what has happened to many other national parks, there will not be any serious damage to the park.

SARONO

Jakarta