INDONESIA ESTH HIGHLIGHTS: JUNE 2008

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 JAKARTA 001380 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, OES/ETC, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/PCI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV TPHY TBIO TRGY ENRG ID SUBJECT: INDONESIA ESTH HIGHLIGHTS: JUNE 2008 IN THIS ISSUE -------------- -- Orangutans Need Forest Habitat to Survive -- Orangutan as an "Icon" for Conservation Issues -- New Species Found in East Nusa Tenggara and Central Sulawesi -- Ministry of Forestry Destroys Smuggled Turtles in East Kalimantan -- UNEP Gives Environment Awards to Minister of Forestry Kaban and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono -- Fish Bombing Increasing Due to High Fuel Price -- Ministry of Environment to Establish Environmental Court -- Jakarta Governor Says Air Quality Improving -- Jakarta Customs Foil Log Smugglers -- GOI Hosts Basel Convention Conference -- Jakarta Administration and Industries Agree to Improve Waste Management -- Surabaya ratifies local environmental regulation -- East Java Tops Environmental Awards -- High Level of Water Pollution in East Java -- Surabaya Spot Checks Show Diesel is Dirtier -- BPPT and NOAA Released Easy-To-Deploy Buoys -- New Head of Indonesian Academy of Sciences Named -- BPOM Bans 54 Herbal Medicines -- Malnutrition in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) ENVIRONMENT -------------- Orangutans Need Forest Habitat to Survive -------------- ¶1. On June 7, Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation released 25 orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) in Bukit Batikap protected forest, Murung Raya Regency, Central Kalimantan. According to BOS, the orangutans were victims of palm oil plantation expansion. BOS Communication Manager Nina Nuraisyah stated that the orangutans were rescued and then rehabilitated at BOS' Center for Reintroduction and Rehabilitation in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. A Pelita Air chartered plane transported the orangutans on three separate flights to their destination. BOS is rehabilitating another 224 orangutans at a center in Kutai Kertanegara. ¶2. The Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA) recommended the Bukit Batikap release site and, prior to sending the orangutans there, a BOS team conducted a feasibility survey on biodiversity, the population of local orangutans, food availability, and local communities living in the buffer zone of the protected forest. Herry Djoko Susilo, Deputy Director for Species and Genetic Conservation, Ministry of Forestry, admits that the government is having difficulty finding locations to release orangutans after their rehabilitation. �A; Orangutan as an "Icon" for Conservation Issues -------------- - ¶3. The USAID-funded Orangutan Conservation Services Program (OCSP) is encouraging the use of the orangutan as an icon for forests. OCSP's Program Director, Paul Hartman, compares it to using the polar bear as an icon for ice. The idea of using the orangutan as an umbrella symbol is to encourage awareness about conservation issues, and is mentioned in the Strategy and Action Plan for Indonesian Orangutan Conservation (2007-2017) released by the Directorate General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation, Ministry of Forestry. The Ministry of Forestry notes that there are three subspecies of orangutan living in Indonesia and Malaysia. Pongo pygmaeus (7,500) live in five locations in West Kalimantan and Sarawak; Pongo pygmaeus wumbii (46,250) live in 19 locations in Central Kalimantan; and Pongo pygmaeus morio (4,825) live in eight locations in East Kalimantan and Sabah, Malaysia. New Species Found in East Nusa Tenggara and Central Sulawesi -------------- -- ¶4. Gatot Soebiantoro, Head of Kelimutu National Park, announced on June 21 that a team from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) found a new species of shrubs called Begonia kelimutuensis within Kelimutu National Park. The new species was found during a community study on flora and fauna, conducted by Kelimutu National Park and LIPI's Biology Research Center, which will continue until ¶2009. Kelimutu National Park covers 5,356 hectares on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara. ¶5. Separately, researchers from the University of Tadulako in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Fadly Y. Tantu and Jusri Nilawati announced on JAKARTA 00001380 002 OF 004 June 15 that they had discovered five new freshwater fish species in Central Sulawesi. They found five new species among 32 endemic fish species that populate Maliki Lake. The new species include three from the Telmatherinidae family (Telmatherina whitelips, Telmatherine baganggensis and Telmatherina exilis) and two from the Gobiidae family (Glossogobius spilii and Mugilogobius flavus). The findings were released at the Fifth Fish Seminar held at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture in early June. Ministry of Forestry Destroys Smuggled Turtles in East Kalimantan -------------- -------------- ¶6. The Ministry of Forestry destroyed 387 dead turtles (including green, shell, and giant shell turtles) on June 9 in Amal Beach, Tarakan City, East Kalimantan. The Ministry also sold at auction one ship used for smuggling the turtles. The turtles had been evidence of a smuggling case in May 2007, for which an Indonesian court sentenced the smugglers (ship captain Wang Su Chen and 22 crew) to four years in jail and levied a fine of Rp. 10 million ($10,866). UNEP Gives Environment Awards to Minister of Forestry Kaban and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono -------------- -------------- ¶7. On World Environment Day, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) presented Minister of Forestry M.S. Kaban and Indonesian First Lady Ani Yudhoyono with Certificates of Global Leadership. Minister of Environment Rachmat Witoelar presented the awards on behalf of UNEP. UNEP gave the award to Minister Kaban because of his Ministry's work in rehabilitating critical lands and reforestation by planting 86 million trees, while First Lady Ani Yudhoyono led a tree planting movement in Indonesia that succeeded in planting 14 million trees. Fish Bombing Increasing Due to Higher Fuel Price -------------- --- ¶8. Edhi Cahyono, the Police Chief in West Teluk Betung, Bandar Lampung, announced that police had arrested a fish bomb trader and seized 65 bottles of fish bombs. The police are investigating an increase in bomb-fishing in Teluk Lampung waters due to increased fuel prices. In Kiluan Bay, 85 km from Bandar Lampung, fishermen have to pay 8,000 rupiah ($0.87 cent) for one liter of diesel. Ministry of Environment to Establish Environmental Court -------------- -------------- ¶9. Deputy Minister for Environmental Management Ilyas Asaad said on June 23 that the State Ministry of Environment was coordinating with other agencies to establish an environmental court, and that Attorney General Bagir Manan has agreed to its establishment. The court will handle all cases concerning the violation of environmental laws. In the meantime, the Ministry will provide training on environmental laws, regulations and related issues to law enforcement agencies, including training 1,000 members of the police. Mas Achmad Santosa, an environmental law expert from the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) notes that there is still a lack of awareness about environmental laws among government agencies. Jakarta Governor Says Air Quality Improving -------------- ¶10. The Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Wibowo, claims that Jakarta's air quality is improving through implementation of the "Car Free Day" program on major thoroughfares. On June 29, Fauzi said that there were 73 days of low carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2007, compared with 85 days of low CO2 so far this year. Fauzi also said the city plans to increase the frequency of the "Car Free Day" from once a month to twice a month, or to expand the coverage of "Car Free Day". Fauzi stated that Jakarta initiated the "Car Free Day" policy to improve the quality of life of Jakarta's residents by decreasing air pollution. Governor Fauzi also expressed his appreciation of several companies and individuals who recently launched the "Jakarta Green and Clean (JGC)" movement, including the daily newspaper Republika, PT. Unilever Indonesia, Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) and Delta radio. Jakarta Customs Foil Log Smugglers -------------- ¶11. On June 12, the Jakarta Customs Office seized 21 containers of smuggled logs and two containers of illegal "pasir timah" (tin sand) with a total value of Rp. 17.6 billion ($1.9 million). The logs alone were valued at approximately Rp. 13 billion ($1.4 million). The Head of the Investigation and Enforcement Office at Tanjung Priok Port, Heru Sulastyono, said that the logs were ebony from JAKARTA 00001380 003 OF 004 Palu, Central Sulawesi and Kalimantan. He stated that the smugglers planned to export the logs to China and that Customs is still investigating suspected actors, but that the smuggling involved 11 companies. Jusuf Indarto, Director of Investigation and Enforcement, said that the smugglers violated Article 103 of Law No.17/2006 concerning fake documents, which stipulates imprisonment from two to five years and a fine ranging from Rp. 100 million ($10,869.57) to Rp. 5 billion ($543,478.26). GOI Hosts Basel Convention Conference -------------- ¶12. Indonesia hosted the Ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal in Bali from June 23-27. The Basel Convention is the most comprehensive global environmental treaty dealing with hazardous and other wastes. Around 1,000 participants from 170 signatory countries attended the Conference. Minister of Environment Rachmat Witoelar noted that the Basel Convention is an important instrument for protecting health and the environment in Indonesia because Indonesia is vulnerable to illegal trafficking in hazardous wastes. On June 27, the COP9 Basel Convention released a "Bali Declaration on Waste Management for Human Health and Livelihood." Jakarta Administration and Industries Agree to Improve Waste Management -------------- -- ¶13. On June 29, directors of 24 industrial and services companies signed an agreement with Jakarta Governor Fauzi Wibowo to improve their waste management performance. The companies include PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur, Hotel Mercure, PT Indocement Tunggal Perkasa, and PT Kawasan Berikat Nusantara. Governor Fauzi hopes that improved waste management by companies will improve Jakarta's urban environment. Surabaya Ratifies Local Environmental Regulation -------------- --- ¶14. After years of discussion and negotiation, the Surabaya Parliament finally ratified a local regulation (Perda) on air pollution on June 2. The regulation complies with national air quality standards as required by central government regulations, according to the head of the Surabaya Environment Department. The Surabaya municipal government originally planned to follow their own tougher air quality standards, but lacks the authority to set them. East Java Tops Environmental Awards -------------- ¶15. Ten schools in East Java received "Adiwiyata Awards" from the provincial government for their emphasis on the environment. These ten schools have developed environmentally-friendly curriculums, built facilities that can support environmental activities, formulated pro-environment policies, and maintain an environmentally-friendly culture. Another 23 schools in East Java also received environmental awards from the Minister of Environment on June 6. President SBY delivered another environmental award, the "Adipura Award", to 24 regencies/cities in East Java on June 5. Among all Indonesian provinces, East Java has the highest number of regencies/cities to have received environmental awards. High Level of Water Pollution in East Java -------------- ¶16. Suparto Wijoyo, an environmental expert from Airlangga University, explained in June that pollution in East Java is the second worst in Indonesia. Illegal logging occurs in nearly 65 percent of East Java's forests. East Java is also the biggest producer of dangerous waste (around 1.3 million tons in 2007) but does not have a single dangerous waste management facility. Water pollution in East Java is also high -- around 90 percent of industries in East Java do not have waste treatment facilities. Surabaya Spot Checks Show Diesel is Dirtier -------------- ¶17. The East Java Environmental Impact Management Agency conducted car emission checks on June 3 on 150 cars. The checks showed that most diesel vehicles were 50 percent over the maximum emission standards. By contrast, gasoline powered vehicles were largely within the standard of 4.5 percent carbon monoxide and 1200 parts per million of hydrocarbons. These results will form the basis of Provincial Regulations on vehicle emissions. SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY -------------- JAKARTA 00001380 004 OF 004 BPPT and NOAA Launched Easy-To-Deploy Buoys -------------- ¶18. On June 10, the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and NOAA launched two DART Easy To Deploy Buoys at Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta. BPPT and NOAA positioned the buoys in southern Bali waters using the Baruna Jaya IV research vessel. The Chairman of BPPT, Prof. Said Djauharsjah Jenie, announced that the buoy launching was part of the development of the Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System and the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System. Indonesia's long coastline makes it extremely vulnerable to tsunamis; it therefore needs additional buoys to provide early warning. Indonesia plans to position one buoy every 250 kilometers along its coastline. At the launch, U.S. Ambassador Cameron R. Hume reiterated that the U.S. Government would fully support the development of the tsunami early warning system in Indonesian waters. New Head of Indonesian Academy of Sciences Named -------------- --- ¶19. Professor Sangkot Marzuki of the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology has been named the new Head of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences. Dr. Marzuki graduated as a medical doctor from the University of Indonesia and went on to study in Bangkok before spending 17 years at the department of biochemistry at Melbourne's Monash University. In 1992 Dr. Marzuki was invited back to rebuild the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, where is also currently Director. ¶20. The Indonesian Academy of Sciences was established in 1990. At present it has 41 members, of which 9 are honorary members. The academy currently has 5 scientific committees organized as follows: Committee on Basic Sciences; Committee on Engineering; Committee on Medical Sciences; Committee on Social Sciences; Committee on Art and Culture. HEALTH -------------- BPOM Bans 54 Herbal Medicines -------------- ¶21. On June 10, the Head of the National Agency for Food and Drug Control (BPOM) Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib announced that BPOM was removing 54 traditional herbal medicines from the market. Forty-six of the 54 herbal medicines used fictitious registration numbers. BPOM announced the action after their laboratory tests showed hazardous/toxic contents in those herbal medicines. BPOM found these herbal medicines being sold in 15 provinces/cities: Medan, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Banjarmasin, Kendari, Mataram, Lampung, Bengkulu, Banda Aceh, Padang, Makassar, Pontianak, Bandung, Pekan Baru, and Kupang. At the time of the announcement, BPOM had already destroyed 20 trucks/containers of those herbal medicines. Husniah admitted that the finding would affect the herbal medicine market, while the Head of the Traditional Medicine Association, Charles Saerang, expressed concern that people would refrain from using herbal medicines in general. According to Charles, total revenue from sales of herbal medicines was Rp. 3 trillion ($326.09 million) in 2007, including exports of Rp. 10 billion ($1.1 million) to Malaysia and Rp. 20 billion ($2.2 million) to Saudi Arabia. Malnutrition in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) -------------- ¶22. Twenty three children in NTT died between January-June 2008 due to malnutrition. In NTT alone, 12,818 children are suffering from malnutrition and 72,067 children are undernourished. Malnutrition cases have spread to 20 regencies/cities in NTT, with the worst problems in Timor Tengah Selatan Regency and Kupang Regency. The main causes are poverty and a lack of nutritional knowledge. According to the head of NTT's health department, Steve Bria, NTT needs at least Rp. 54 billion to handle malnutrition, while it currently receives an allocation of only Rp. 1.5 billion from the provincial budget and Rp. 5.6 million from the city budget. HUME