Most concession holders still exploit forest: Minister

Most concession holders still exploit forest: Minister

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo
said yesterday that the dominance of profit-hungry forest
concessionaires will continue to be a major obstacle to
sustainable forestry development next year.

"The forestry business community still tends to perceive the
country's forests merely as something to exploit," he told
reporters during a year-end press briefing at his office here.

He also cited official figures which calculate that at
present, Indonesia's forest area has reached 113 million
hectares, indicating a serious drop from 144 million hectares
twenty years ago.

"Worse still, out of the 113 million hectares only 92 million
hectares are believed to be in good condition," he said. "You can
just imagine the unofficial data."

He also said the government planned to reduce timber output
from natural forests from a level of about 26 million cubic
meters in the last five years to a new rate of 22.5 million cubic
metres over the following five years.

To meet the increasing demand for timber, Djamaludin said,
small plantations would step up supplies for local markets.

Such plantations could supply up to eight million cubic meters
annually, he said, adding that the demand would also be met by
tapping timber from new, replanted forests developed by timber
concessionaires.

The minister also said that only about 25 percent of the
existing forest concessions -- totaling around 500 -- manage
their forests according to government rules.

"Most of the concessionaires are only willing to invest in
their logging activities instead of devoting some of their
resources to replanting and aiding local communities," he added.

The government last week refused to extend licenses for 75
forest concessionaires and assigned state firms to take over and
reforest their concessions.

Acquisition

Director General of Forest Development Hendarsun Surya
Sanusiputra also announced last week that state companies have
acquired shares in 33 other concessions which violated the
ministry's rulings.

Djamaludin said yesterday that the acquisition of the
concessionaires' shares remains the most effective mechanism for
his office for preventing further degradation of the country's
forests, which are regarded as state property in the
constitution.

The minister also revealed that his office had submitted
proposals to revise the current law, which stipulates that forest
concessionaires are only valid for 20 years, 15 years less than
the sustainable timber production cycle.

"The proposal is now at the State Secretariat and we expect
that a draft of the new law will be presented to the House of
Representatives for deliberations late next year," he said.

Djamaludin announced earlier this year that the government
plans to merge 195 timber concessions into a smaller number in
the coming five years in order to achieve more sustainable
forestry development.

The minister also promised to step up preventive measures in
order to reduce the number of forest fires next year.

A significant portion of forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan
suffered from heavy fires last summer, casting clouds of thick
smoke over Singapore and Malaysia. (hdj)