Forestry Ministry sets up ad-hoc team for forest least permits

By Samantha

The Forestry Ministry will set up an ad-hoc team to anticipate the increase in the number of applications for forest lease permits following the issuance of the government regulation No. 61/2012 which allows miners to operate in forest areas.

Bambang Soepijanto, the director general of planology at the Forestry Ministry, said the establishment of the ad hoc team would be also needed to filter the applications because not all miners would be qualified to obtain forest lease permits.

Under the government regulation No.61/2012 on the revision of regulation No 24 on the use of forestry areas, mining companies whose concession areas overlapping with forest areas, could apply for a forest-lease permit to be able to conduct mining operation in the forest areas

He said that mining companies which would be able to get a legality to operate in forest area are only those which are located in productive area and resettlement area (KPP-KPPL) based on the regional spatial planning (RTRW) made before the implementation of the Law no 26 on national spatial planning.

Companies which have already conducted mining operation in forest areas should first settle their legal violations even though their concession areas occupy forest areas as stated in the RTRW, Bambang said.

Editing by Adianto P. Simamora