Jakarta Globe, Novi
Lumanauw, June 7, 2013
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono maintained on Friday that the nation could preserve its natural environment without compromising economic growth. (GA Photo) |
President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has reaffirmed his commitment to fight the country’s
ubiquitous illegal logging, and said he will present more environmental
policies before his presidency ends next year.
“I am fully
committed to protect our forest and and fight against illegal logging, I have
to admit there’s still a problem and challenges that need an answer, but they
will be answered when public awareness and understanding improve,” Yudhoyono
said during his visit to Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior ship in Tanjung Priok
Port, North Jakarta on Friday.
Yudhoyono
said he would issue more policies geared toward environmental protection before
his presidential term ended in October next year. He also said the government
was committed to planting one billion trees annually.
The
president emphasized that Indonesia faced the dual responsibilities of creating
jobs and raising living standards for the archipelago’s poor, while fulfilling
its responsibility as guardian to some of the world’s great rainforests.
“We can do
both of them at the same time, our economy can grow significantly while the
environment remains the same. It’s difficult,” he said, “but we will not give
up.”
On May 13,
Yudhoyono signed a two-year extension to a logging moratorium. The moratorium
is part of a $1 billion bilateral deal with Norway to reduce the impact on the
nation’s forests.
The
moratorium has been welcomed in principle but several activist groups and
observers have criticized the lack of enforcement.
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