“In addition to illegal logging, the next most common cases involve the illegal harvesting of plants and wildlife,” a senior forestry police officer with the Sulawesi Region Gakkum KLHK, Muhammad Dahlan, said in Makassar on Monday.
According to data from Gakkum KLHK Sulawesi, a total of 1,553 individuals were involved in the cases, many of whom have been brought to court.
Dahlan emphasized that the agency has a key role in protecting forests and biodiversity, which is crucial to minimize the negative impacts of forest degradation.
“That’s why community involvement in forest conservation is essential to reduce the number of legal violations on the ground,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mustari Tepu, speaking on behalf of head of the Center for Ecoregion Development and Management for Sulawesi and Papua, said that the government has divided forest functions into three categories: Conservation Forest Management Units (KPHK), Protected Forest Management Units (KHPL), and Production Forest Management Units (KPHP).
He informed that safeguarding the three functions indirectly ensures the protection of biodiversity both inside and outside forested areas.
Therefore, he stressed that forest management should not be the sole responsibility of the government but involve non-governmental organizations, the private sector, local communities, and even the media.
“Strengthening our shared commitment is essential to saving the forests and biodiversity in Indonesia, and Sulawesi, in particular,” he said.
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Translator: Primayanti
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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