New forest areas for profiteers?
New forest areas for profiteers?
From Koran Tempo
Several days ago, the government issued two important decrees
for the integrated forestry sector (SKT), which covers activities
from legal logging under forest concessions (HPH) to wood
processing. First, industries using raw materials from
unspecified sources are to be closed. Second, industries using
limited available raw materials are to be reduced in their
installed capacity.
SKT materials are derived from HPH. It is very easy to take
action against SKT because the domiciles of integrated forestry
companies are clear. Even by ignoring corporate legal certainty,
a forestry minister can whack -- and has knocked down -- almost
100 forest concessionaires already fulfilling requirements for
permit extension, including the payment of costs and HPH
contributions, by refusing to sign extension documents for
reasons of performance review and inspection of the volume of
standing trees.
Therefore, the nearly 100 concessionaires are banned from
logging, meaning that SKT's material shortage is not only due to
corporate failure, but also results from the minister's legal
infringement.
Another cause of material shortage is concessionaires'
operational shutdown owing to their inability to respond to the
growing public demand in the last four-year period of reform.
In the catchment area of Kahayan, Central Kalimantan, five
concessionaires have been forced to discontinue their operations
in the last several months. Three others keep selling their logs
to unselected buyers.
There is fear that those in the catchment areas of Barito,
Kapuas, Katingan and Mentaya may have to end their business as
well. What is the minister's view about the lack of materials
caused by the breach of legal provisions and the unreasonable
public demand?
The hundreds of idle HPH areas will expand the forest area for
illegal logging by profiteering financiers. While the forestry
minister and local communities have "succeeded" in dealing a hard
blow to HPH/SKT companies, the minister remains helpless in the
face of financiers and smugglers.
DEHEN BINTI
Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan