95 mining firms awarded permit for use of forest area
Friday, November 11 2011 - 04:32 AM WIB
The permit will be valid for 20 years.
Hadi Daryanto, Secretary General at the Ministry, said that so far the forest area being used for mining actitivies has reached 680,000 ha.
?There are 95 miners who have just secured the permit,? he said on the sidelines of a seminar titled Forest Area Rehabilitation Model and Green Mining Investment in Forest Area yesterday.
He added that the Ministry has so far issued 117 such permits for a total area of 160,000 ha, but most are in the form of 'permit in principle'. ?As for the real permit for the use of forest area reaches a total area of 54,512 ha.?
Bowo Laksono Purwanto, of PT Indo Tambangraya Megah Tbk, said after gaining the permit that companies carry out reclamation by considering surrounding ecosystem since the first year of mining operation. ?We cover the holes immediately when we decide to dig other holes in other locations,? he said
Hadi said reclamation and rehabilitation of forest area used by mining operations is a form of investment in mining actitivies. ?If miners invest (by doing rehabilation and reclamation), they will gain benefits as the markets demand green approach or green product.?
David Makes, Chairman of Sustainable Management Group, said forest area in Indonesia is increasingly being used for mining activities. In the meantime, the markets start to favor only companies with strong responsibility towards environment.
Teguh Surya, Head of International Relation and Climate Justice Depertment at WALHI, said the Forestry Ministry has set bad example by granting the permit, saying that such practice should be stopped altogether to prevent more damages to Indonesia?s forest areas.
?Countless forest areas formerly exlpoited by miners are left in disaray. Miners conduct reclamation only when there are problems,? he said.
Member of Coalition for Anti Forest Mafia Agus Surono said: ?The government should complete a comprehensive mapping of the country?s forest area first, so that after that it would be easier to allocate a portion of forest area for other purposes. (*)