Regulation on forest land use should be revoked: IMA

The Indonesian Mining Association (IMA) said it proposed last month that the Supreme Court revoke a regulation issued by the Forest Ministry obliging mining contractors to seek another reforestation-designated land to compensate the forest land used for mining activities, Bisnis Indonesia reported Wednesday.

IMA?s executive director Priyo Pribadi said that the Forest Ministry Regulation No.14/Forest Ministry-II/2006 on the Guidance of Forest Land Used and Lease would only restrict contractors' right to do their mining activities.

?It is impossible to enforce the regulation because it is not easy to seek compensation land. While, the solution (to the problem on providing compensation land) mentioned in the regulation will force mining companies to double the cost they have to bear,? he said.

Under the Forestry Ministry Regulation, article 1 and 2, contractors are obliged to provide or submit non-forest land designated for forest land through reforestation program in compensation for the forest land used for the mining activities or provide certain amount of funds for the government as non-tax state revenue.

Aside from that, Priyo said, the IMA was striving to propose the amendment of Law No. 41/1999 on Forest, particularly paragraph 38 and article 4, which prohibit protected forest areas from being used for open pit mining activities.

Priyo assured that not all protected forest area was used for mining activities. ?Only 10 percent of all protected forest area was used for mining purposes. And the forest land used is subject to reforestation,? he said.

He acknowledged the presence of small-scale miners that conducted mining activities without abiding by the existing regulation, which posed damages to the forest area. (*)