RI forests vanishing rapidly

BOGOR, West Java: A conservancy expert said here on Thursday that the country's 90 million to 120 million hectares of primary forests were vanishing at a rate of 1 million hectares a year.

"Unless steps are taken to save them, we will no longer have any primary forests within the next 100 years. We'd only have man-planted forests," said Jatna Supriatna, the director of Conservancy International's Indonesia program.

He was speaking at the launching of the book The Flora of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Kerumutan Sanctuary and Mahato Protective Reserve, Riau, Indonesia held at the Bogor Botanical Gardens. More than 80 percent of Indonesia's tropical forests stand in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Irian Jaya.

"Sumatra's and Kalimantan's forests are facing the biggest threat from the government's forest conversion programs, illegal felling and forest fires," he said.

"They should be explored as soon as possible before they are gone," he said, citing the international convention on biological diversity.

The convention, which stipulates that countries deserve royalties for any natural resources developed into industrial raw materials or other purposes, was adopted by Indonesia through Law No. 5/1994.

"(Countries deserve the royalties) Under one condition, that those resources be recorded and published. The more reason for us to learn about all the natural resources in Indonesian (forests)," he said. "Without that knowledge, it would be difficult for us to claim any royalties."

Jatna, also the chief editor of the Tropical Biodiversity Journal praised the botanical garden and the Chevron and Texaco Indonesia Foundation for launching the book.

The director of the botanical garden, Dedy Darnaedi, said it took two years and 17 members of his staff to prepare the book. "At least 175 species of plants from the Kerumutan and Mahato areas in Riau are currently in the Bogor Botanical Garden's collection," he said.

Dedy lamented the poor documentation of Indonesian flora, while Baihaki Hakim of the foundation said conservation was the responsibility of all elements in society, including businesspeople who look to exploit natural resources. (24)