NGOs criticize plans to amend forestry law

NGOs criticize plans to amend forestry law

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several non-governmental organizations have criticized plans by
legislators in the House of Representatives to amend Law No.
41/1999 on forestry affairs.

The chairman of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment
(Walhi), Longgena Ginting, said on Monday the motive behind the
plan was clearly to accommodate the interests of mining companies
that wanted to exploit minerals located inside protected forests.

He said if the amendments went ahead it would further endanger
the country's forest resources.

"We regret that lawmakers, who are supposed to be defenders of
the environment, have surrendered to pressure from mining
companies," Longgena told The Jakarta Post.

Several House members said on Sunday they were considering
amending the forestry law, mainly to ensure stiffer penalties for
illegal loggers and negligent concessionaires. Protecting the
interest of mining investors, the lawmakers said, was secondary.

Dozens of mining companies were forced to stop operations
after the government issued the 1999 law, which bans open-pit
mining in protected forest.

The law infuriated mining investors that already had spent a
great deal of money for exploration and had to abandon their
projects after the issuance of the law.

Environmental watchdogs contend that open-pit mining by its
very nature is destructive to the environment.

Meanwhile, Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa also came out
against amendment to the forestry law.

He also dismissed accusations that his ministry had already
talked with legislators about amending the forestry law.

"All solutions concerning open-pit mining dispute will be
settled in accordance with the existing law. The ministry has no
thoughts toward amending the law," Prakosa said on the sidelines
of a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

According to Walhi, the destructive impact of open-pit mining
is greater than the damage caused by illegal logging, because
open-pit mining operations leave behind toxic waste.

Moreover, said Longgena, forests cannot be returned to their
natural state once open-pit mining has taken place in the area.

Longgena said the annual deforestation rate had reached 2.5
million hectares, and if 22 mining companies were allowed to
carry out open-pit mining that rate could double.

The chairman of the Indonesian Biodiversity Foundation, Ismet
Hadad, said if the amendment of the forestry law went through,
the House would have betrayed the trust given it by the public to
protect the country's forests and environment.

"Millions of hectares of protected forests, which are home to
endangered wildlife and indigenous tribes, would disappear if the
government allowed mining companies to operate in the (protected)
forests," Ismet said.