Forest-lease permits for mining operations decline

The number of forest-lease permits issued for mining operations both for exploration and development declined sharply last year, Bisnis Indonesia daily reported on Monday.

Hadi Daryanto, the secretary general of the forest ministry, said that the ministry issued forest-least permits to 29 mining companies, or less than a third of 102 mining companies, which received forest-lease permits in the previous year.

He, however, said that the number of land being explored showed only a slight decline to 441,243 hectares in 2012 from 468,411 hectares in the previous year.

Hadi said that the number of companies receiving forest-lease permits for mining exploitation or development also dropped to 22 companies, last year as compared to 58 companies in 2011. The number of forest areas for mining development also declined sharply to 18,141 hectares in 2012 from 36,575 hectares in 2011.

He attributed the decline in the issuance of forest-lease permits to the sluggish mining business and also to a moratorium of permits in certain areas. (*)