Ministry seeks compensation for Perhutani to stop logging
Ministry seeks compensation for Perhutani to stop logging
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Ministry of Forestry is demanding financial compensation from
the government for state-owned forestry firm Perhutani to stop
cutting down Javanese forests to mitigate ever-worsening weather
extremes, including the severe drought across Java at present.
The ministry's spokesman Tachrir Fathoni said on Tuesday that
compensation for carbon absorption and fees from forest-
exploiting companies that used its land, such as tap water firms
and power plants, would facilitate Perhutani in focusing on its
non-logging business activities, including ecotourism, medicinal
plants and beekeeping.
"We think banning Perhutani from its logging activities should
be thoroughly calculated economically, socially, and
environmentally," Tachrir told The Jakarta Post Tuesday.
He also emphasized that the demand for logs and the derivative
products on Java was still high, while many home-based industries
relied on local wood.
"If Java tries to import logs from other countries to meet
local demand, it will be too expensive," he said.
Besides, the government, particularly the office of State
Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) should stop demanding
that Perhutani generate more profit and instead consider
environmental preservation as one of the company's achievements,
Tachrir said.
Separately, Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI) said on Tuesday that
the government had to enforce its decision to ban all logging on
Java, but also should provide financial incentives for Perhutani
to save Java's forests.
"The logging ban for Java is correct, but it is also fair for
Perhutani to receive incentives from the government in order to
shift its business to something other than chopping down what
remains of the forests," FWI executive director Togu Manurung
told the Post on Tuesday.
Manurung said the government could provide incentives to
Perhutani by allocating reforestation funds and special
allocation funds to the company.
Tachrir and Manurung were commenting on the announcement by
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla on Monday
that the government had decided to ban logging activities on Java
due to the present drought and water crisis that is starting to
affect more and more of the 128 million people who call the
island home.
Javanese forests now account for a mere 5 percent of total
land, far below what 30 percent level that many consider the
minimum for maintaining ecological balance, according to data
from the Ministry of Forestry.
Perhutani controls all commercial plantations and logging
activities on Java. In addition, it also is involved in
ecotourism, beekeeping and medicinal plants.
The Ministry of Forestry had earlier given Perhutani
permission to process 931,000 cubic meters of natural forest wood
this year, down from 1.46 million in 2002.
In addition to the logging ban, the government also urged
people to reduce farming on Java and for farmers to do more on
other islands in the country.
Manurung went on to say that Perhutani should comply with the
government's decision even if demand for wood and its derivatives
remained high.
"We know that local demand for wood is still high. The
government can import logs to meet the demand, but of course that
would be far more expensive, or allow some of the companies that
rely on wood to close down," he added.