Only 10% of forest crimes taken to court

Only 10% of forest crimes taken to court

JAKARTA (JP): The Director General of Forest Protection and
Nature Conservation, Soemarsono, said the government managed to
prosecute in only 10 percent of forest crimes last year.

Soemarsono said yesterday the forest security team reported
more than 700 forest crimes last year.

He said in most cases the court fined or imprisonment the
offenders.

Soemarsono was speaking after a signing ceremony where the
Japanese Embassy awarded a US$41,050 grant to the Cipta Citra
Lestari Indonesia Foundation to conduct a project aimed at
protecting biodiversity in Irian Jaya.

The foundation, established in 1995, is a Jakarta-based non-
government organization (NGO).

Foundation representative Jatna Supriatna and the Japanese
Embassy's charge d'affaires, Norio Hattori, signed the agreement.

Soemarsono, who witnessed yesterday's signing ceremony, said
the project would support the province's local government master
plan.

The master plan, which will identify the function of each area
in the province, is being drawn up.

Soemarsono said the project was a follow-up to a workshop on
biodiversity conservation held in Irian Jaya in January.

The foundation organized the workshop in conjunction with
Washington-based NGO Conservation International, the Indonesian
Institute of Science, the Irian Jaya Development Planning Agency,
Cendrawasih University and the Directorate General of Forest
Protection and Nature Conservation.

Yance de Fretes, Conservation International's Irian Jaya
Program Coordinator, said the project would identify which parts
of Irian Jaya had overlapping functions and which were potential
conflict areas.

"Irian Jaya is a land rich in biodiversity but also in mining
resources. These two functions practically stand opposite each
other, so we must figure out which parts of the province suit
which functions best," he said.

Yance said he disagreed with the slack criteria of using land
suitable for agricultural purposes.

"Land fertility is basically the only criteria needed to
conduct agricultural activity ... This, for example, will easily
endanger biodiversity in that area," he said.

Yance said the project would result in biodiversity maps, the
application of a geographic information system, workshops,
technical assistance and skills training. (pwn)