Forestry Minister Makes Requests to New President
29 July 2014 16:48 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan has four hopes that he wishes to convey to the next administration. These wishes are related to Forestry Ministry regulations and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's uncompleted program.
Zulkifli hopes that the next administration will be able to refuse forest concessions (HPH) requests.
"For five years, I have not given concessions for newly filed requests. These entrepreneurs were granted concessions by my predecessors," Zulkifli told Tempo on Monday, July 28.
He also asks for a moratorium that can delay the granting of new licenses in primary forests and peatland, something that the state has been trying to do since 2010.
Zulkifli claims the soon to be replaced government has managed to reduce deforestation. From 1996 to 2003 deforestation rate reached 3.5 million hectares per year. Since then, the rate of deforestation is only 15 percent, or 450,000 hectares per year.
His last wish is for the new government to find spatial resolutions for Indonesia's forests. Three provinces that are still suffering from unresolved spatial issues are Riau, West Papua, and North Sumatra.
According to Zulkifli, in the last two months the Forestry Ministry has been working to resolve internal issues such as office facilities, as well as other homework. "This is done so that we can welcome the new cabinet with a red carpet."
PERSIANA GALIH
