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National scene: Govt claims larger protected forest area
After the issuance of a decree extending a forest-clearing ban, the Environment and Forestry Ministry has released a new moratorium map that enlarges the protected forest area
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fter the issuance of a decree extending a forest-clearing ban, the Environment and Forestry Ministry has released a new moratorium map that enlarges the protected forest area.
The eighth revision since the ban was implemented in 2011, the new map protects 65 million hectares of primary forests and peatland, about a million hectares more than the previous revision to the map, which was made in November last year.
Due to the absence of a single map to define the country's land use, the government updates the protected areas covered by the moratorium every six months. New land-conversion permits based on commitments made before the moratorium was established often affect the map's layout.
'With this ministerial decree [on the eighth moratorium map revision], all governors, regents and mayors should refer to the latest revision in making new location permits,' said the Environment and Forestry Ministry's head of public relations, Eka W. Soegiri, in a press statement.
In its efforts to curb deforestation, the government has banned ministries and regional heads from issuing forest-conversion permits. The moratorium on new permits, however, has frequently been ignored by local officials due to the absence of sanctions for violations.
