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)