RI must protect forestry industry, logging interests

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia must protect its forestry industry despite mounting world demands to stop logging and the rampant illegal logging problems here, legislators said Tuesday.

Azis Sjamsuddin, chairman of the illegal logging committee at the House of Representatives, denounced such demands as more political and economic than environmental.

"It's impossible for Indonesia to stop exploring its natural resources, including its forests, because it would (harm) the millions of people making their livelihoods from the forestry industry," he said in a discussion on illegal logging.

"The forest resources must be well-managed to improve the people's welfare and increase Indonesia's foreign exchange."

Ganjar Pranowo, a member of the House's forestry and agriculture commission, agreed while accusing other pulp and paper and palm oil producers such as China, Brazil and Malaysia of using the UN climate change conference in Bali as a forum to criticize Indonesia and weaken the pulp and palm oil industry here.

He said China and Brazil were Indonesia's two main competitors in the world pulp and paper market and Malaysia was its only competitor in the palm oil industry.

"But internally the government must reassess the actual condition of its forests to maintain a balance between ecological and economic interests," Ganjar said.

"Authorities must enforce the law consistently and take harsh action against all parties involved in illegal logging."

Data from the Indonesian Forestry Industry Association indicate Indonesia received US$3.9 billion in foreign exchange from the annual export of six million tons of pulp and 10 million tons of paper.

Director-executive of Greenomics Indonesia, Elfian Effendi, said Indonesia should continue with the forestry and palm oil industries which have contributed only 18 percent to global warming and climate change.

"Giant industrial countries such as the United States, China, India and European countries should reduce their carbon production, which makes up 82 percent (of the pollutants causing) climate change," he said.

"China, India and the U.S, which declined to sign the Kyoto Protocol, have also imported illegal logs from Indonesia."

Elfian and Ganjar both said the government had not yet shown a strong political commitment to environmental interests in carrying out the national development program.

"This has been shown by the overlapping of rainforests and industrial forests in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua as well as the weak commitment to enforcing the 1999 forestry law and the 1997 law on the environment and Criminal Codes," Ganjar said.

"Pulp and paper mills involved in illegal logging should be punished."

He said the enforcement of the 2007 law on spatial zoning would help Indonesia protect national parks and protected forests from illegal logging.

Elfian called on the central government to have stronger coordination with regional administrations to avoid the issuance of overlapping ordinances in the forestry sector.

"Regional heads giving industrial concessions in rainforests, protected forests and national parks should be brought to court," he said.