The two truck drivers were arrested for failing to show legal documents for loading and transporting the Meranti wood and timber, Chief of the North Barito Police's Criminal Investigation Unit Adjunct Commissioner Kristanto Situmeang said here Sunday.
The first truck driver is identified as Muhammad Arsyad alias Amat (32), a resident of Banjar Baru Village, Daha Selatan Subdistrict, South Kalimantan Province, while the second driver is identified as Ismail (54), also resident of South Kalimantan, he said.
The two drivers failed to show the police officers any of legal documents regarding the Meranti wood that they transported. As a result, the police arrest them and confiscate the Meranti wood as their evidence of crime, he said.
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Indonesia keeps on striving to save and protect its forests from the ongoing threats of illegal loggers as well as bush and forest fires by considering the importance of sustainable forests for the country's present and future generations.
In this connection, other countries' support for Indonesia's endeavors to protect its healthy forests is needed by not purchasing or selling wood or products made of wood obtained from illegal logging activities.
Besides demanding international support, Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya has repeatedly emphasized the importance of raising people's awareness over protecting forests through sustainable forest management.
In one of his press statements, Adam Gerrand, acting FAO Representative in Indonesia, had also ever highlighted the importance of investing in forestry education at all levels.
To this end, countries could help ensure scientists, policy makers, foresters, and local communities to work to halt deforestation and restore degraded landscapes through the forestry education, he said.
The FAO noted that as the world population climbs to 8.5 billion by 2030, the role of forests becomes more important than ever. Forests help keep air, soil, and water healthy, and enable people to become happier and more prosperous.
The forests cover one third of all land on earth and are a fundamental part of a global ecosystem. They provide timber, food, fuel and medicines, for more than a third of the world's population.
Forests also protect the natural environment. They absorb 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, helping reduce climate change.
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Translator: Kasriadi, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Sri Haryati
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