New international forestry site gets start
New international forestry site gets start
BOGOR, West Java (JP): Minister of Forestry Djamaloedin
Soeryohadikoesoemo planted seven different trees at the site of
the new headquarters for the Center for International Forestry
Research (Cifor) on Monday.
Djamaloedin told reporters that around Rp 5 billion (US$2.33
million) in funds had been raised to build the headquarters, and
the government itself contributed Rp 3.2 billion to the first
phase of construction.
Totally, the government has committed Rp 8 billion to the
headquarters.
The minister said the government will also contribute around
$100,000 to $200,000 annually of Cifor's $6 million budget and
has set aside 100,000 hectares of forest in East Kalimantan for
research.
The planned headquarters is located on 10 hectares near the
Bogor Institute of Agriculture's campus at Darmaga in Bogor, and
will accommodate its 150 employees and scientists.
The Cifor's Board Chairman Bo Bengtsson said the headquarters
will undertake research necessary to ensure that forests are
managed in a way that is sustainable and that brings maximum
benefit to the poorer sectors of society in tropical countries.
Established in May 1993, Cifor will look into both social and
economic issues to support the development of sound forest
management policies and with increased knowledge of the related
biological and technological issues.
Cifor is an international independent research center
sponsored by the governments of Australia, Sweden, Switzerland
and the United States, and supported by 18 donor countries, the
World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation.
According to Djamaloedin, Cifor's research results will not be
automatically available to the international community as the
Indonesian government and Cifor have agreed not to transfer
research results without prior approval from the government and
the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).
Counter
The minister said the establishment of Cifor's headquarters in
Indonesia is expected to counter campaigns against the country's
timber industry because Cifor experts will be able to see how
forest resources are managed.
"From now on, Indonesian political statements concerning its
forest management will be fully backed by research," he said.
The minister also said that Indonesia supports timber eco-
labeling as long as it is applied to all types of timber.
"Indonesia has the firm determination to pursue sound timber
eco-labeling. The Ministry of Forestry is preparing institutional
aspects of timber eco-labeling in cooperation with relevant
governmental institutions, the private sector as well as non-
governmental organizations," he said.(03)