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.