Padang (ANTARA News) – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi)is urging the central government and all regional administrations inIndonesia to implement a “forest cutting interval” to protect thecountry from total deforestation” a local Walhi executive said.

“Walhihas been proposing the measure since 2002 and is repeating it now onthe occasion of World Environment Day on June 5″” Khalid Syaifullah”executive director of Walhi`s West Sumatra branch” said here Tuesday.Until now” only the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) provincialadministration had heeded the call and was planning to impose a ban onforest cutting later this month” he said. Walhi was hoping the NADadministration`s action would prompt all other regional governments inthe country to follow suit” Khalid said.

According to datacollected by Walhi” only 62 percent of the country`s land territory wasstill covered by forests but the pressures of developments and economicinterests were causing forest degradation to occur at an everincreasing rate. “Something must be done about this situation if wedon`t want the country to become completely deforested and meet agreater disaster in the future”” he said.

Walhi wastherefore proposing the declaration of a forest cutting interval of 15years during which no new forest concessions would be issued and noforest concession would be extended” Khalid said. To overcome theshortages in wood supply to industries that would happen as aconsequence of the forest cutting interval” the country should importtimber. During the period” a comprehensive check should be conducted onthe performance of forest industries and efforts made to save criticalforests through reforestation” in addition to a complete halt to alltree-cutting activities. The government should also help those peoplewhose livelihood had depended on forest-cutting activities” Khalid said.

Article found on AntaraNews.

Wahliis the Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI – Friends of the EarthIndonesia)” the largest forum of non-government and community-basedorganisations in Indonesia. See its website here.