RI forests vanishing rapidly

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)