Govt to issue regulation to settle forest spatial planning

The government plans to issue a governmental regulation in-lieu-of-law (Perpu) to settle overlapping spatial planning in the country?s dwindling forest in a bid to withhold deforestation, Jakarta Post reported Tuesday.

Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said the Perpu would synchronize overlapping regulations on forest between the central government and regencies since the forest had been converted for commercial purposes.

?Many protected forests have been converted into commercial purposes such as into road facilities or office buildings although their status remains as protected forests under the central government,? he said Monday.

Asked how the Perpu would alter the legal status of the already converted protected forest, the minister said ?we will conduct a study on that case?.

The Perpu would substitute the 2007 Law on Spatial Planning, which allows a local administration to revise its spatial planning every five years.

Zulkifli said that the government would set up a special team to review the spatial planning on the use of forests across the country. ?We hope to submit the draft of the Perpu to the House of Representatives for approval in January 2010.?

Zulkifli also said that his office would rehabilitate at least 500,000 hectares of the forest per annum in the next five years. ?We will also ensure forest rehabilitation will be done around Indonesia?s largest reservoirs such as Brantas River.?

He announced that his 100 day program included cutting forest fires and reducing illegal logging practices in the country. (*)