Minister Prakosa still opposes mining on protected forests

Minister of Forestry M Prakosa said over the weekend he would not backtrack on prohibiting mining investors from carrying out open pit mining activities in protected forest areas, Republika daily reported on Monday.

Prakosa argued protected and conservation forests were crucial to the prevention of erosion, drought, landslide and floods.

?The important thing that we should do is maintaining sustainable development. Economic development does not necessarily mean that we can sacrifice the systems which would support the life of our future generations,? Prakosa said in a parliamentary hearing.

Prakosa and other government officials still differ on whether mining companies which had signed contracts with the government before the issuance of Law No. 41/1999 could continue their projects in protected and conservation areas.

The forestry law, issued in 199, bans open pit mining on protected and conservation forests. The law provisions affect some 150 mining concession holders.

Last year, the minister issued a policy to ban any mining activities in protected and conservation forest areas.

Other ministers including Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro disagreed saying investors who had been awarded contracts to do business activities in protected and conservation forests should be allowed to resume their projects.

Meanwhile, the government is awaiting green lights from the House of Representatives to allow 50 miners already signing contracts with the government to continue their projects in protected and conservation forest areas. (*)