The Forestry Ministry has called on mining companies to see forest reclamation in areas where they operate as an investment rather than just an obligation.

Last year, the government issued a regulation obliging mining firms to conduct reforestation in the forest areas they had cleared for mining operations but only a few had done so mainly due to weak oversight.

This has sparked concerns about the state of the country’s forests, which have been deteriorating in the past decades due to industrial development.

Data from the ministry showed that in 2006, there were 77.8 million hectares of land in a critical condition, a three times increase compared to the 23.2 million hectares recorded in 2000. Other data shows that currently there are 117 companies with activity permits on 600,000 hectares, 257 companies with principal permits on 160,000 hectares and 95 companie...