Students, activists oppose national park

Students, activists oppose national park

YOGYAKARTA: Hundreds of students, non-governmental
organization (NGO) activists and community members held a rally
on Wednesday in downtown Yogyakarta, demanding the government
revoke a decree that has declared forests around Mount Merapi a
national park.

As the forests have been declared a national park local
residents are prevented from benefiting from them, such as by
taking firewood, according to the protesters, grouped under the
Alliance of People Concerned about Merapi.

The decree, issued recently by the Minister of Forestry, rules
that some 6,410 hectares of forest on the slopes of Merapi be
declared a national park, to be named Mount Merapi National Park.
-- JP