Provinces supports mining activities on protected forests

Many provincial administrations have called on the central government to revise the forestry law, which has imposed a strict restriction on the use of protected forests for open-mining activities, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said, Kompas reported on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after attending a hearing at the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday, Purnomo said that the provincial governments supported the use of protected forests for mining activities although such activities would cause destruction in the environment.

The controversy over the use of protected forests for mining activities has been on the spotlights following newspaper reports that at least 150 mining companies have been forced to suspend their mining operations because part of their concession areas overlap with forest concession areas.

The overlapping is only unveiled after the government introduced the new forestry law last year when most of the companies have been engaged in exploration activities.

Minister Purnomo has proposed a revision on the law so that mining permits, which were issued before the introduction of the law could be exempted from the new legislation. But Minister of Forestry M. Prakosa opposed the proposal, saying that the law should be strictly implemented to protect the forests from being further damaged.

The government?s inter-ministerial team is working on how to cope with the problem. (*)