Soeharto renews appeal on forest protection
Soeharto renews appeal on forest protection
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto renewed his appeal to help protect the nation's forests, warning everyone that failure to do so would constitute a grave sin to future generations and to mankind.
"We have an obligation to pass on our abundance of forestry wealth in well preserved form to future generations. We'll bear a big sin if we leave behind forests which are damaged because of our own doing," Soeharto said when launching a major expedition to take stock of the flora resources in Sumatra.
He said the nation's abundance of natural resources should be looked at not only as national assets but also as belonging to mankind as a whole. "By preserving the flora resources, we're preserving national assets as well as mankind's assets."
The expedition, sponsored by the Bogor Botanical Garden, will involve nearly 100 scientists who will visit Sumatran forests from Jambi to Bengkulu through the Barisan range. Particular attention will be given to the Kerinci Seblat National Park.
The expedition is conducted every year as part of the Botanical Garden's anniversary which falls on May 18. The garden, which is adjacent to the Presidential Palace and a major Bogor landmark, turned 178 years last week.
Soeharto in his speech focused his appeal on two groups of people: nomadic people who still practice slash and burn farming and forestry concession holders.
"They (The farmers) need guidance to learn a better way of farming, one that does not harm the environment.
Obligation
"We must also stop the irresponsible felling of trees, which will gradually upset nature's ecological balance," he said. "From this place, for the umpteenth time, I'm appealing to every forestry concession holders to abide by their obligation to help preserve the forests."
Indonesia's immense tropical rain forests are home to some of the world's largest collections of rare plants and animals.
Presently there are four botanical gardens and 374 forest conservation sites where some of the rare species are kept and preserved.
Soefjan Tsauri, the chairman of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, said at the launching ceremony that previous expeditions conducted by the Bogor Botanical Gardens managed to save more than 10,000 forest specimens across the country.
Soefjan argued for increasing need to learn about the application of plant knowledge. "With the gradual increase of the utility (of plant knowledge), we need to start steps in the area of intellectual property rights."
The expedition will be held in conjunction with the country's 50th anniversary. It is also being sponsored by Japan's Forestry and Forest Product Research Institute, whose expert, Maria Nunez, is also on the expedition team. Other sponsors include the Indonesian Forestry Society and the Mitsubishi Corporation. (anr)