Forest area included in new moratorium shrinks
Wednesday, May 29 2013 - 02:24 AM WIB
The new area of the primary forests and pealand is included in the fourth indicative mapping on the suspension of new permits (PIPPIB, which is stated in the Forestry Minister?s decree No. SK.2796/Menhut-VII/IPSDH/2013 issued on May 2003.
Director General of Forestry Planning at Forestry Ministry Bambang Soepijanto said in Jakarta on Tuesday that the change was made after several revisions on the area affected by the two-year moratorium on the conversion of primary forests and peat land which was first introduced in May, 2011.
Bambang said that the revisions were made after the ministry conducted reviews on the area affected in the moratorium. The review is conducted every six months to accommodate possible changes required by the people.
?The decision on the area of forests or peatland included in the moratorium is not permanent because it could change following a regular review,? he said. ?It means the government opens the opportunity for other parties to ask for a review on the area of primary forests and peatland affected by the moratorium,? he added.
Bambang rejected the idea that the moratorium on conversion of primary forests and peatland affected the expansion of plantation companies such as palm oil plantations. ?With such a regular review, the moratorium will even make the use of forests more orderly,? he said.
The government, through President Instruction (Inpres) No. 6/2013 issued on May 13, has formally extended the two-year moratorium on the conversion of primary forests and peatlands signed in May, 2011 under a US$ billion climate deal with Norway aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation.
Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan had previously declared that the first moratorium was a success, saying that the move had slowed the country?s deforestation rate to 450 hectares per year during 2010-2011 from 3.5 million hectares per year in the period of 1999-2002. (*)