Indonesia makes positive steps to boost forest community rights

July 15, 2011 - PRLog -- Seattle, USA -- Forestry Research Associates (FRA) has backed moves by Indonesia to renew commitments to forestry protection.

The President of Indonesia's Special Delivery Unit head, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, has announced that the government will renew efforts to protect the country’s forest communities.

The pledge has been welcomed by forestry experts worldwide as an indication that Indonesia is growing more committed to safeguarding its forests and the communities that live within the forested regions.

Speaking at an event organized by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), the International Tropical Timber Organization and the Ministry of Forestry, Mr Mangkusubroto said the country will prioritize the Adat rights of the indigenous people who live in the forests. He stated, "My role has enabled me to look cross-sectorally, across walls, to make sure that things happen on the ground. I want to ensure that the President’s Special Delivery Unit lives up to its name – delivers.”

FRA, a research and advisory consultancy specializing in forestry and forestry investment issues, welcomed the announcement. Its analyst, Peter Collins, stated, “FRA is pleased that Indonesia is taking the needs of its forest communities seriously as protecting those who live within the forests is as important as protecting the forests themselves.”

FRA claims that investment in sustainably managed plantations can help to take the pressure off densely forested countries that still allow logging of native forests. Projects in other developing countries, like Brazil, that attract foreign investment in non-native timber plantations, such as those run by Greenwood Management, are useful in providing alternative timber and charcoal for an expanding market.

The announcement from the government followed a report published a week earlier stating that the country’s lack of progress on safeguarding the rights of forest people had held back its plans to establish manage forestry and reduce deforestation.

Dominic Elson of Trevaylor Consulting, the report’s author, stated, “There is ample evidence that communities are reliable managers of natural resources and forests, yet for some reason Indonesia has yet to embrace the concept of local tenure rights with any seriousness.” He added, “Until addressed, it will be hard to make more than token progress on the pressing issues facing the land use sector, such as deforestation, conflict and misguided investments that undermine development.”

About Forestry Research Associates

Forestry Research Associates is a research and advisory consultancy that focuses on forestry management, sustainability issues and forestry investment around the globe.

Contact:
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Forestry Research Associates
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