Indonesia to rehabilitate 500,000 hectares of forest

INDONESIA: Indonesia's Forestry Ministry will rehabilitate 500,000 hectares of forest in 2010, Kompas daily reported on Monday.

The Ministry's Directorate General of Forest and Nature Protection Darori said that currently, his ministry is composing data related to the targeted areas.

"We consider rehabilitating forest at Merapi Mountain (in Central Java province)," he said on the sidelines of the inauguration of Energy-Independent Village at the province's Purworejo regency.

The rehabilitation was the continuation of the same program on 60,000 hectares of forest that was initiated in 2009.

This year, he said, the program was conducted in conservation areas.

For the National Park of Merapi Mount, which is reported of heavily damaged, Darori said, his ministry planned to make a mapping.

"The core zones will be conserved and planted by the Forestry Ministry while utilization zone will be planted with fruit plants that would be managed on coordination between the ministry and people," he said.

The Central Java's Governor Bibit Waluyo hoped that the central government really gives special attention on damage at the national park.

"With damaged forest due to sand mining, now there's no area that could resist from lava and volcanic material flood if the Merapi Mountain erupts," he said.

Jakarta, Monday, Xinhua