He made the statement in Jakarta Tuesday when addressing this year`s fifth Indonesian Forestry Congress that the utilization of forests in Indonesia needs to prioritize the principle of sustainability, by still prioritizing its functions.
"It is not that the forests must not be used, its need to be used sustainably," the vice president said in the congress attended by Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan and Agriculture Ministry Suswono.
He said all the relevant parties need to seek ways of the use of forests which would still preserve the function of forests.
He said that the forestry sector in Indonesia was once known as a sector mainly contributing to the national economic growth, industrialization, and employment.
But in the meantime the role of forests in the national economy had dropped. Many forests had changed their function and disrupted ecological balance.
Natural disasters like floods and landslides were caused by disrupted ecological balance and everybody needs to be responsible for that.
He also reminded that in Indonesia more than 60 pct of the carbon emissions caused by global warming came from the forestry sector.
"Global warming is a global problem. But we must not forget that most import that will be affected by the climate change, global warming, and the rise of the surface of the sea are archipelagos like Indonesia," he said.
He added that the present most pressing and urgent problem is how the government, businesses, and people take joint efforts in solving regions which were already badly damaged because of past bad management.
He said that the government has issued Presidential Instruction No 10 of 2011 on two years of delay in issuing new permits and at the same time improving forest management, including peat land.
Presidential Regulations no 61 of 2011 had also been issued, making more than 70 planned actions to reduce gas emissions with funds from the government.
These regulations, he added, are only some of the measures to restore the proper use of forests in Indonesia. Joint wishes and measures are needed from all parties to preserve the proper functions of forests.
On the occasion, the vice president also warned that what is being done now will form what is tomorrow for the Indonesian people and the next generation.
"If you no longer find trees to protect you from the heat of the sun, do not blame the sun, but blame yourself," the vice president said quoting a famous Chinese concluding his speech in the Indonesian forestry congress. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
