Indonesia's forest destruction downgrades international confidence: minister

Indonesian Forestry Minister MS Ka' ban said Indonesia's continued forest destruction has downgraded the international confidence for the country.

"As the world's biggest tropical forest owner, Indonesia has been under the international spotlight because of its forest destruction, leading to a drop in the international confidence in Indonesia," Antara news agency on Friday quoted the minister as saying at a workshop on managing sustainable forests in Bogor, 60 kilometer south of Jakarta.

Indonesia's damaged forests currently covered an area of 59.3 million hectares, he said on Thursday night.

He noted that illegal logging, forest fires and nomadic farming were responsible for the forest destruction.

"The practices have led to degradation of forest function, shrinkage in forested land, and disappearance of some flora and fauna species," he said.

The degradation of forest function had also destroyed the ecology, he added.

The forestry officers had not implemented forestry policies well was another cause of the forest destruction, he said.

Meanwhile, the minister said his ministry would continue fighting illegal logging by arresting those engaged in the activity.

"We will continue to combat illegal logging activity and arrest the perpetrators with all our might because they are destroying our forests," he said.

Ka'ban called on the provincial, district and municipal forestry office chiefs to always take the right actions against the illegal business.

Source: Xinhua