Save our forests

For three days starting yesterday (Tuesday), the environmental ministers of ASEAN will be meeting in Jakarta to discuss matters in this region. Ironically, even as they are meeting huge forest fires are raging in Sulawesi, Kalimantan and Sumatra. It is highly probable that this problem will be one of the main subjects of discussion.

The sad thing about all this is that the probability of fires ravaging our forests had been anticipated long before they became reality. Similarly, the long dry season which we are now experiencing as a result of El Nino was anticipated as early as last year. As it turned out this knowledge did not enable us to prevent the destruction of our natural wealth. According to our State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, as reported by AFP, more than 300,000 hectares of our forests have gone up in smoke so far this year.

The long dry season, which is expected to end only in December, is meanwhile rendering even more forests vulnerable to fire. We must therefore be united in our efforts and take the necessary preventive measures to protect our country's forests. The government, and the Ministry of Forestry in particular, must act with greater vigor and be more proactive in taking the measures that are necessary to protect our national forests.

The press, too, must focus more on this issue in the hope that by doing so it can help improve transparency in the management of our forests.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta