Changes to the core zones are only going to be allowed (if they seek) to serve the national strategy and support a better life for people at large by always conserving the ecosystem.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Core zones in conservation areas can be changed to serve national strategic interests only if the changes take biodiversity and ecosystem conservation into account, according to the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.



“Changes to the core zones are only going to be allowed (if they seek) to serve the national strategy and support a better life for people at large by always conserving the ecosystem,” director general of marine space management at the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Tb Haeru Rahayu, said in a press statement issued on Wednesday.



After the issuance of government regulation number 27 of 2021, the directorate general of marine space management is drafting several regulations to implement the new rules, which pertain to making changes to the status of core zones in conservation areas, terms and conditions for construction, placement and demolition of buildings and installations at sea, and control of salt imports.



According to the directives issued by Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, regulation number 27 of 2021 is part of the government's efforts to solve the issue of overlapping regulations which obstruct investment.



The new regulation is also aimed at protecting marine and fishery resources, including coral reefs, so that they can be well-managed, he said.



To change core zones in conservation areas, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister will have to set up an integrated research team comprising personnel from the ministry and related ministries and institutions to propose a national strategic project.



Members of the research team will also be drawn from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), institutes of higher learning, provincial governments, district governments, non-governmental organizations, local social institutes, and locals living near the conservation areas.



"The integrated research team will conduct a study and consult the public. The recommendation from the integrated research team will serve as the basis for the minister to re-endorse the change in the status of the core zone and/or the category of the conservation area," Rahayu said.



A change in the status of core zone and the category of conservation areas will not reduce the allocation of space for conservation areas in the plan for the zoning of coastal areas and islets (RZWP-3-K), the plan for the zoning of inter-regional areas (RZ-KAW), the plan for the zoning of certain strategic national areas (RZ KSNT), or the space pattern in the national marine/spatial layout plan, he added. (INE)




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Translator: M Razi Rahman/Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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