Forest Cut Before Approval
Tuesday, 15 April, 2008 | 14:01 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: A protected forest in Bintan which was planned to be developed as a city, has been cut before the House forestry commission issued a recommendation. There is even a building erected already.

“This is the public works office,” said Edy Firmansyah, a volunteer of the Indonesian Environmental Association (Wahana Lingkungan Hidup) to Tempo yesterday.

Edy does not know when the building was constructed. “The office is ready to be used,” he said.

According to Edy, the tree cutting was begun three months ago, to 10 hectares of land out of 200 hectares prepared for the Bintan governmental area. “But it stopped after the media talked about it,” he said.

Edy said that the tree cutting before issuing the recommendation is wrong. “The recommendation was just issued on April 8th,” he said.

Vice regent of Bintan, Mastur Taher, confirmed that the tree cutting has taken place on 100 hectares of land, not 10 hectares. “It has been arranged since 2007,” he said.

The Bintan government, Mastur said, intentionally chopped the trees before the recommendation came through. They thought the process at the House of Representatives (DPR) would be fast. Regarding this activity as a violation of the regulation, he said,”The decision is all up to the regent.”

The Bintan regent, Anshar Ahmad and Forestry Minister MS Kaban, have not been able to be contacted.

Ganjar Pranowo, a member of the Bintan verification team for forestry from the House forestry commission, said that it was just a field when they visited it last year. Although it is categorized as protected forest, there is no foliage or plant life in most of the field.

He was concerned that the proposal to change the forest was completed after the trees was cut. “Local government submitted the proposal changing the forest’s function,” he said last Sunday.

DWI WIYANA | DWI RIYANTO | KURNIASIH BUDI