Sentani, Jubi – The Papua provincial government launched a reforestation program called ‘Planting Jayapura’ to rehabilitate forest lost to logging.
The head of the Papua Forest Agency, Jayapura Regional Government officials, students and Nature Preserve Community participated in the event by planting a thousand trees of 20 species on one-hectare land.
“Papua is currently listed as the owner of the world’s third largest forest. Thus, this action will be enough to guarantee the future lives of the Papuan community,” said the Papua Legislative Council Chairman Yunus Wonda in Sentani on Tuesday (7/4/2015) during the event.
He further said illegal logging in Papua involved the central government through certain companies.
“As the Chairman, I firmly said to the central government to stop illegal logging in Papua,” Wonda said.
He also said the oil palm plantation must be reduced because it damaged land and forest. “I also need to say to the regional leaders for not easily accepting the investors’ offers to grow the oil palm trees,” he firmly said. Meanwhile in the same place, the Jayapura Regent Matius Awotau said the Jayapura Regency is still continuing to support the environmental rehabilitations.
“It is on line with the Children Friendly Village Program. The open green spaces are needed in realizing the children friendly regency. Therefore, the trees plantation must keep doing in the future,” he said.
In connection to illegal logging, last week the Papua Forestry Office found several timber companies in Papua indicated transporting logs from the forest to outside of Papua. “Instead of woods, they also transported the logs to outside of Papua,” said the Papua Forestry Chief Yan Yap Ormusera in Jayapura, Papua.
In fact, since 2013, the Papua Governor has asked the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Dr. Siti Nurbaya to revoke the permit of 13 companies who hold the business permit on Timber Forest Product on Natural Forest in Papua. But the ministry only revoked the permit of PT. Merauke Rayon Jaya, however the company then sued its revocation and won. According to Ormusera, illegal logging has been usually happening in Nabire, Sarmi, Keerom and Jayapura. Few times ago, the authorities detained four containers of wood belong to PT. IJP in Jayapura. And the timber company PT. SUM in Nabire also shut by the Police while the Police detained nine trucks transporting logs in Keerom and now is under the police’s investigation. (Engelberth Wally/rom)
