"Massive illegal logging activity has caused Indonesia to suffer losses totaling around four billion US dollars," Budhy Kristanty said, adding that most of the logs had been smuggled out to other countries.
With the rupiah`s exchange rate at Rp9,000 per one American dollar, US$4 billion was equivalent to Rp36 trillion, he said.
He said most of the logs that had been cut illegally across the country was sent abroad.
According to him, the government had made great efforts to address critical land throughout Indonesia.
In 2009 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared a reduction of green house gas emission by 26 percent and business level in 2020, and 41 percent from international assistance.
Budhy said Norway has made a commitment to donating US$1 billion to support Indonesia reach the target, and it was then followed up by the Indonesian government by issuing a two-year moratorium on concessions from the forest sector starting in May 2011.
According to Budhy, forestry sector has an enormous economic potential for Indonesia by annually contributing an income of up to US$8 billion which was equivalent to Rp72 trillion.
"Forestry sector is directly absorbing manpower of around 1.5 million people," Budhy Kristany said.
To maintain the continuity of forest conservation in Indonesia, Budhy said CIFOR has encouraged that the local people be economically empowered and involved in forest monitoring.
Budhy added that various issues related to illegal logging and
forest monitoring, based on participation of local communities, would be discussed in the "Conference on Future Forests and Climate Change in Indonesia", initiated by CIFOR on September 27, 2011.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
