Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 07/29/2009 10:57 AM
Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban has dismissed allegations that exploration for gold by mining companies in East Nusa Tenggara province will ruin the ecosystem within the Komodo National Park, which is in the running for one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
“I’ve visited the site of the mining company,” Kaban said Tuesday.
“It’s about 20 kilometers from the Komodo National Park, so it won’t damage the park’s ecosystem.
“It takes an hour by speedboat to get from the mining location to the park.”
He added the area being mined belonged was private property, and not part of the world heritage park.
“Because the mining area is not in a forest, it’s up to the regent [of West Manggarai] to issue a permit to the mining company,” he said.
Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) chairwoman Siti Maimunah called on the government to stop the exploration activities near the park in West Manggarai.
She claimed the West Manggarai administration had issued eight mining permits, despite having mainly an agriculture- and tourism-based economy.
Kaban said there was no need to worry about the planned gold mining, since there were no other mining activities currently underway in the area.
There are currently about 2,500 Komodo dragons in the park.
The New Seven Wonders Foundation, responsible for managing the list of natural wonders, is running an online poll to select seven wonders in each of seven categories, including forests, volcanoes and islands.
Komodo National Park is listed under the national park category.
The park reached the finals, along with the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, Bu Tinah Island in the United Arab Emirates, the Galapagos islands off Ecuador, and the Iguazu Falls River in Brazil.
The park was established in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, a venomous species of lizards inhabiting the islands of Komodo, Rinca and Flores.
