Public awareness of environment issues rises in autonomy era
Public awareness of environment issues rises in autonomy era
Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung
Public concern for the environment has increased steadily since
the initiation of regional autonomy in 2000.
According to environmentalist Otto Soemarwoto, the increasing
public awareness is possibly due to the new accessibility of
policymakers in provincial administrations.
In other words, the autonomy era has brought the government
closer to the people.
"People are no longer reluctant or afraid to protest to the
legislative councils or regental offices to convey their
grievances on the environment. This shows that public awareness
on environmental issues has increased," he said on the sidelines
of a 2004 Earth Day event at the West Java People's Struggle
Monument in Bandung over the weekend.
He gave as an example the Babakan Siliwangi project in the
north of Bandung for the development of a shopping mall and
apartments which was called off following protests by residents
and NGOs. They also rejected the related Dago-Lembang highway
project which would have threatened the Juanda forest reserve.
NGOs have also filed class action suits against the government
agencies responsible for land reclamation along the north coast
of Java and for victims of the Mount Mandalawangi landslide who
blamed the government and state-owned Perhutani forest enterprise
for the destruction of the Mandalawangi forest.
The waves of protests were not imaginable prior to the
autonomy era, and moreover the autocratic Soeharto regime.
However, Otto complained that despite greater public
awareness, environmental preservation was not yet a way of life.
He cited the highly formal commemoration of environment day and
the lack of commitment to concrete action on the part of the
government and the presidential candidates.
Arie Djukardi, an official of the Office of the State Minister
for the Environment, agreed that the role of the public was
important in efforts to reduce the level of environmental damage
occurring throughout the country.
He said that there was an increase in the number of volunteers
who were concerned about the environment.
"They number hundreds of thousands across Indonesia. Last year
alone, there was an addition of about 6,000 individuals and 1,000
groups. It shows that the public is more concerned now," said
Arie.
According to him, most of the volunteers in Sumatra,
Kalimantan and Sulawesi come from the society at large while
those on Java island are dominated by members of environmental
NGOs.
He assumed that the increase showed that the public was more
aware that the environment must be protected to ensure the
sustainability of their livelihoods and for the generations to
come.
Only 80 million hectares of protected forest remain, with 30
million hectares declared as critical areas. The ideal area of
protected forests for the whole of Indonesia is 120 million
hectares.