Walhi demands Perhutani be stripped of W. Java forest role

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has called for state-run forestry company PT Perhutani to be stripped of its authority to manage forests in West Java, accusing the firm of widespread forest exploitation.

Walhi West Java director Dadan Rahmat blamed Perhutani for denying residents the right to be involved in forest management, adding that locals’ involvement was crucial to preventing forest damage in West Java, where many forests were now in critical condition.

“This is Walhi’s political stance. Based on our investigation, Perhutani has not been serious about managing forests,” Dadan told The Jakarta Post in Bandung on Thursday.

Walhi said that more than half of West Java’s forests, or at least 600,000 hectares of its 1.1 million hectares of forested areas, were critically damaged.

“A large part of the forested areas under Perhutani’s control are in critical condition,” Dadan said.

Walhi West Java reported that much of the damaged forest area was now being used to grow vegetables, such as cabbage and chili, which worsened the situation.

It said that a number of springs in the forests were found to have been sold off by Perhutani employees, and several areas in Garut had been converted into marijuana farms.

“How can we continue to trust them with the preservation of the forests in West Java if they cannot manage these forested areas well,” Dadan said.

Walhi said that forest management in West Java must be improved. The provincial and 26 regional administrations have failed to uphold laws on spatial planning and the environment, it said, adding that there continued to be a rapid rate of forest conversion to farmland and industrial and residential areas, of 0.3 percent annually.

In addition, 65 percent of the watershed areas in the province are damaged, Walhi said, especially river basin areas in Citarum, Citanduy, Cimanuk and Ciwulan.

It said the impacts of this damage included a reduction of ground water. “We are concerned that this could have an impact on water supplies to Saguling, Cirata and Jatiluhur hydro power stations,” Dadan said.

Walhi said it was concerned that the impacts of the environmental degradation could fu ther trigger disasters and a water crisis that could affect the approximately 43 million people living in the province.

When reached for comment on West Java Walhi’s call to dissolve Perhutani, Perhutani’s West Java-Banten head Bambang Setiabudi said his office was ready to disclose all of the data it had relating to its reforestation efforts.

He said Perhutani was responsible for only 20 percent of the forested areas in West Java.

“The most heated issue is land in the Bandung basin area, where we have only 15 percent of the forested area, and all of it remains intact,” Bambang said.

Bambang said that Walhi’s allegations were unfounded.

“The director was recently appointed, so he is still seeking popularity,” Bambang said.