Urgent: `Recovery packages' for our forests

Ahmad Maryudi
The Jakarta Post, 02/24/2009

Sometime around 400 B.C., Chinese philosopher Mencius stated that: "If the seasons of husbandry be not interfered with, the grain will be more than can be eaten. If close nets are not allowed to enter the pools and ponds, the fishes and turtles will be more than can be consumed. If the axes and bills enter the hills and forests only at the proper time, the wood will be more than can be used."

This become a famous rationale for wise stewardship of natural resources including forests; if the resources are exploited more than they can regenerate, detrimental consequences are experienced.

Today, the lesson is more than appropriate for Indonesia, as this country has suffered and indeed still is suffering from massive forest depletion.

It is widely referred to as the country with the world's highest rate of deforestation. Rampant, not necessarily illegal logging, has taken its toll on our forests.

In the first weeks of 2009, those who have been frustrated with the Indonesian forestry sector were faced with another bitter reality.

The Ministry of Forestry has reportedly reversed the decision banning pulp and paper companies from sourcing wood from natural forests. The decision will put further pressure on the country's natural forests.

The reversal was primarily aimed at supporting pulp and paper companies operating at their production capacities, amidst the slow establishment of plantations. This is to support the government's ambitious goals to compete with "pulp and paper giants" from Northern Europe and Northern America.

Over the past few years, the industry has expanded in Indonesia. According to the Wood Resources International, the production of the industries, mostly located in Sumatra, has increased and reached a peak at 5.6 million tonnes.

Indeed, there might be every reason to support the industries. They, which are export-oriented, boost national incomes, they might create more job opportunities and they are supposed to support regional development and so on.

But their expansions should go along appropriately with sufficient wood supply. It is well suggested that the aggressive expansion demands ever more wood fibre, which cannot be met by the sustainable production potential of the forests.

Unfortunately, the industry has relied heavily on wood from conversions of natural forests.

A modest estimation suggests that approximately half the wood entering mills originates from natural forests.

Indeed, plantations are supposed to be established on the cleared forestland, but the progress of plantations is very limited.

According to recent statistics from the Ministry of Forestry, less than 2 million hectares of pulp-plantations were established between 1990 and 2006.

Five times as much forest is cut down compared to the rate of successfully-established plantations, meaning that much of the felled forests are left destroyed.

Even the current demands for wood fibre are well-over the potential of the forest. The latest developments suggest that "pulping natural forests" will expand to other islands, as some major companies have secured licences.

Clearly, Indonesia's natural forests need to "breathe." "Recovery packages" are increasingly more important than "exploitation packages". Otherwise, they will soon disappear. This would be very unfortunate, since the forests are irreplaceable; they host a wealth of natural riches and are among the most diverse and biologically-rich in the world.

They provide clean air, water and a habitat for endangered wildlife and are required to maintain local as well as global ecological sustainability. In addition, the forests often provide some inspirations and are closely attached with the cultures of some communities.

Therefore, the forests deserve more appreciation than just their economic potential.

We should not need to wait for their extinction to understand how valuable they are for humans and the planet.

Exploitation is only justified on the premises that the resources can recover at an equal pace to the harvest, and without compromising the environmental, social, cultural and historical values of the forests.

We have an intergenerational responsibility in managing the forests. We might need to recall the cautious remarks made by forestry genius Hans Carl Von Carlowitz in the 18th century: "Wise forest managers therefore have to evaluate forests in a timely manner and take advantage of them to the fullest extent, but in a way that future generations can profit from them to the same degree as the current generation".