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.