Govt Sets Up Joint Management For Kampar Peatland Forests

Pekanbaru, Riau, Sept 23 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government has officially declared Kampar Peninsula as a joint peatland forest management area under the Tasik Besar Serkap Production Forest Management Unit (KPHP) in Riau province.

Forestry minister Zulkifli Hasan said when inaugurating the area here on Thursday that "its management could be done collaboratively by various parties concerned such as from the government and companies with non-governmental organizations as controllers. I hope all the problems in Kampar could be settled with the body."

The declaration of Kampar Peninsula as a Tasik Besar Serkap KPHP would become a model for the development of 60 production forest management (KPH) units across Indonesia until 2011.

He said the Tasik Besar Serkap KPHP would be a forest authority that will directly watch the non-land use right (HGU) area totaling around 513,000 hectares of more than 700,000 hectares of the Kampar Peninsula forest area.

The body will synergize between those who have a license and those who have not to exploit the land and at the same time safeguard it from being exploited against the rules. The stakeholders will answer to the governor of Riau.

Riau governor Rusli Zainal said he was ready to support the realization of the KPHP. He hoped the district administrations in the region would commit themselves to the program.

"Through this I hope we can wipe out the impression of Riau as a forest destroyer," he said.

Southeast Greenpeace campaigner Zulfahmi said the role of the people living around the forest have to be prioritized as the main actor behind the KPHP. He said so far only few certain people enjoyed the benefit from various solutions offered by the government government and companies.

"The people around the forest must become the main actor as without it they would remain fooled and would not enjoy their right properly," he said.

Zulfahmi said the KPHP in Kampar would actually not stop forest exploitation by companies such s PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper. "Forest conversion will continue and the government's forest moratorium policy will be biased," he said.

PT Raiu Andalan Pulp and Paper's president director Kusnan Rahmin said the KPHP was established as the best solution to prevent various worries such as about possible forest fires, illegal tree felling and irresponsible forest exploitation. He said his company would share its experience in eco-hydro management for the area management.

"PT RAPP is ready to help the government," he said.