Ministries to take steps to save parks

BONTANG, East Kalimantan (JP): The government will revise the 1989 joint ministerial decree on mining exploration inside national parks, an effort to strengthen their legal status.

Indonesia has 35 national parks, 10 of which will get higher legal status under special park management.

Seven international non-government organizations recently sent a letter to the Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of Mines and Energy, asking for better legal status for Indonesian national parks, which they said are being threatened by private mining explorations.

In 1989 the two ministries issued a joint decree saying that commercial exploration in wildlife sanctuaries and nature reservations is only allowed with appropriate permits from them.

Nana Supriana, former director of Area Development and Nature Preservation of the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Preservation, told The Jakarta Post Monday that the decree needs to be revised as it is insufficient to protect parks and conservation areas.

"National parks have zones which can be explored, while nature reserves are strictly prohibited for exploration. The decree fails to elaborate on these matter and is open to misinterpretation," he said.

"It is not even running hand in hand with the 1990 Law on Conservation," Nana said.

The law no. 5/1990 prohibits any actions inconsistent with the function of national parks, grand forest parks, and natural recreation parks.

Koesaparjadi, the newly appointed director of Area Development and Nature Preservation, told the Post that the decree was formulated in such a way to ensure coordination between the two ministries in the issuance of mining exploration permits.

"It's intended to prevent a protected area -- whether a nature reserve or a national park -- becomes a subject of two different regulations from different ministries," he said.

Ediwiyoto, director of Program Development of the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Preservation, said that conservation has always been Indonesia's main concern.

"Our conservation program is being watched by world organizations. But we also need the parks to be reserved," he said. (12)