Local Governments Responsible For Forest Management

Jakarta, July 22 (Antara) - Local governments are the main authority responsible for the management of forest area, according to Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan. Of Indonesia`s total forest area reaching 130.68 hectares, 80 percent is protected and production forests which are under the local governments` responsibility, and the rest is the central government`s responsibility, the minister said here on Monday. "The forest management depends on the local governments` performance. The key lies in the institutional and human resources existing in the forestry sector," he said. According to the minister, some local governments did not understand their roles in managing and protecting forest area. Therefore, the central government must give them understanding concerning their responsibilities in the forestry sector, among other things through a coordinating meeting on the forestry training and education and human resources development. He said the capacity building of local governments in the forestry sector covers three main aspects, namely policies, institutional aspect and forestry human resources, as mandated in the Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 59/2012. "These three aspects are integral with each other and have a strong influence on the local governments` forest management performance," he said. The minister said that as a developing country Indonesia has a big desire to achieve a high economic growth and to improve the livelihood of the people, but is must be attained without sacrificing the forestry resources.