Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat Kaban of Indonesia
Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban has warned the corruption body not to intervene in the countrys forest conversion processes, which have been tarnished by alleged bribery.
Kaban said he welcomed the move by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate the alleged graft in the approval of the forest conversion in Bintan regency in Riau Islands province.
I am responsible for changing the status of a forest, which falls under the governments authority, Kaban said after attending a graduation at Ibnu Khaldun University in Jakarta on Saturday.
Indonesia will relocate endangered animals, such as the tiger, from forests from which timber was being harvested or which had been converted to oil-palm plantations in Sumatra island, Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said here Wednesday.
Kaban was quoted as saying by the Republika newspaper.
Jakarta, Oct 31 (Xinhua) Indonesia will relocate endangered animals, such as the tiger, from forests from which timber was being harvested or which had been converted to oil-palm plantations in Sumatra island, Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said here Wednesday.
Kaban has been implicated in a scandal involving Rp 100 billion "illegally" disbursed from the central bank.
A witness testified during last week's hearing at the Corruption Court that Kaban received Rp 300 million of the money in 2003, while serving as a legislator from the Crescent Star Party.
Indonesia would not change its land-use policy and plan to move endangered animals, such as tiger, living in part of jungle given over to timber and palm-oil plantation in Sumatra Island, Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said on Wednesday.
Minister Kaban said that the species must be relocated to their conservation areas before the opening of new plantation or the beginning of project for timber.
would only survive for another 15 years.
had urged industry to green the environment by turning vacant land into forests.
and Ministry of Plantations to settle the haze problem.
Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said his office respected the police decision to issue a Letter of Order to Stop Investigations (SP3) into the companies.
Kaban said the 13 companies did not violate the Forestry Law because they secured business permits from the government.
Indonesian Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat Kaban said that the cause of the flood and landslide in the province was the lack of forest coverage on the land, which was resulted from the accumulative failure of reforestation for decades in the past.
Minister Kaban said that 59 million hectares out of the 162 million hectares forest was damaged.
More than 170 foreigners have been arrested for alleged involvement in the illegal felling of forests in Indonesia, Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said Wednesday.
From those figures, the largest number of barons arrested came from Malaysia," Kaban was quoted as saying by the Republika newspaper.
Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban was quoted by the state Antara news agency as saying that the December 26 tsunami destroyed more than 350,000 hectares (864,500 acres) of mangrove forest in the province.
Speaking to the press after launching a mangrove reforestation project in Lam Nga village, Aceh Besar district, Kaban said the government planned to plant a total of 150,000 hectares (370,500 acres) of mangroves along the coast.
Kaban said the country's mangrove forest coverage has drastically shrunk since 2000.
Kaban said the meeting aimed to seek solution to reduce the thickening haze from Indonesian forests that shrouded Malaysia but he didn't elaborate.
We are planning to insure the lives and property of people living near the habitat of wild beasts to ensure that people won't harm these animals," Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said Wednesday.
Kaban said his office was still negotiating with Takaful insurance company on who to formulate the amount of the premiums and the compensations.
Kaban said the forestry ministry is seeking additional powers to find, arrest, and prosecute illegal loggers.
Kaban said Indonesia hoped its neighbours would recognise the complexity of the problem and that officials would be invited to take part in a field trip today to view affected areas.
Article Excerpt JAKARTA, Oct 29 Asia Pulse - Forestry minister Malam Sambat Kaban said he has the names of 19 suspected financers who have been behind rampant illegal logging in the country and promised that firm action will be taken.
Kaban said he will report the cases of the 19 suspects.
Kaban said the scheme would also see incentives for protecting peat land, which stores massive amounts of carbon.
From The Jakarta Post) JAKARTA: Forestry minister Malam Sambat Kaban said on Tuesday he was ready to contest the top post of the Crescent Star Party (PBB.
The "Forest Preservation Operation III" was crucial to stop rampant illegal logging, which costs Indonesia over three billion dollars in lost revenue annually, Kaban was quoted as saying by the Suara Pembaruan newspaper.
Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Kaban said Indonesia would revive its mangrove coastal defenses, earmarking some 600,000 hectares of mangrove across the country for revitalisation.
Kaban said Indonesia knew mangroves were only part of its coastal defenses, and said the planting programme would include other trees such as pine and almond.
Kaban said Indonesia expected its neighbours to recognise that the problem was not a simple one to fix.
Kaban said more than 75 per cent of the fires were not in government-controlled forests but in plantations and farms belonging to private companies and local people.
Agreement Kaban said efforts to induce rain by cloud seeding to contain the fires had been hampered by a lack of clouds.