RECENT ECONOMIC REPORTS

INDONESIA: ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE &TECHNOLOGY, AND HEALTH HIGHLIGHTS APRIL 2005

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Partnership Project in Clean Electricity

      A public-private partnership recently established a mini hydro power plant (2x60KwH) in Cinta Mekar Village, Subang district, West Java (about 75 miles east of Jakarta).  The project is supported by Hidropiranti Inti Bakti Swadaya (HIBS - a private company), the state-owned Electricity Company (PLN), the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the NGO Institute of Business and Economy for the Populace (IBEKA), Mekar Sari Cooperative, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP).  Stakeholders view it as a model of cooperation as contemplated by the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. 

     In addition to providing electricity for 122 households, the facility supports social services, sustainable small economic activities such as the production of cassava chips, and school activities for poor children.  Under the partnership program, HIBS sells power to the public via PLN at the price of 432 rupiah or 5 cents per kilowatt-hour.  A portion of the profit goes back to the local community to finance other projects.  IBEKA facilitator Tri Mumpuni said that the power plant generates a gross monthly income of almost US$ 3,000.  The community and HIBS share the revenue equally after deductions for taxes, and operation and maintenance costs.  UNESCAP Executive Secretary Kim Hak-Su visited the village April 4 to lay the foundation stone for the “first Pro-Poor Public Private Partnership Resource and Training Center in the world.”  Hak-Su said if the project succeeds, it would be replicated in Indonesia and elsewhere in the region.

Endangered Species

 According to recent data from Conservancy International Indonesia (CI-I) eleven primate species in Southeast Asia are in critical status because of environmental degradation, illegal wildlife trade, and abusive bio-medical research.  Four of these rare species are found Indonesia: the Sumatran orangutan: (an estimate 5,000-7,000 remaining in the wild); the Siberut monkey (less than 3,000), the Javanese Uwa-Uwa (less than 3,000), and the Natuna Lutungs-gray long-tail monkey (less than 1,000).  

MOU for Tracking Illegal Forest Cases

    The Ministry of Forestry (MOF) and Conservation International - Indonesia (CI-I) signed an accord on April 14, 2005 to develop a data base for tracking forestry cases.  Director General for Forest Protection and Nature Conservation Koes Saparjadi signed for the MOF; Regional Vice President Jatna Supriatna signed for CI-I.  The cooperative effort aims to: a) help track forestry-related criminal cases; b) evaluate law enforcement’s handling of such cases; and c) provide periodic reports the public to promote transparency.  

    The first pilot project under the accord will be in Papua, which accounts for half of Indonesia’s biodiversity but faces threats from environmental degradation, forest conversion and illegal logging.  CI-I has conducted data base training in the Office of Natural Resource Conservation - BKSDA Papua I, BKSDA Papua II, and Provincial Office of Forestry of Papua and Wasur National Park.  In the first four months of 2005, there was a series of media reports of police arrests of over 100 illegal loggers in Sorong, Manokwari, Jayapura, Nabire, Bintuni and Wamena-Papua.  According to MOF data, the GOI registered 160 illegal wildlife trade cases in Jayapura, Biak, Manokwari, Sorong, Serui, Merauke, Timika, Fakfak during the period 2000-2004.  

Regional MOU on Marine Turtle Conservation

     Indonesia’s Ambassador to Thailand Ibrahim Yusuf signed on March 31, 2005 an MOU on the “Conservation and Management of Marine Turtles and Their Habitats in the Indian Ocean and South East Asia (IOSEA)” during the third meeting of Signatory States to the IOSEA Marine Turtles MOU in Bangkok, Thailand.  The MOU is a collaborative effort among countries in the Indian Ocean, South East Asia and other regions to protect endangered turtles.  It is part of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Life, which came into force September 2001.

     According to the data from the Ministries of Forestry and Environment, Indonesia has six of the world’s seven protected species of sea turtles.  They are the green, hawksbill, leatherback, oliveridley, loggerhead and flatback turtles.  Two Indonesian laws or regulations protect these species:  Law No. 5 of 1990 on the Conservation of Living Resources and their Ecosystems; and Government Regulation No. 7 of 1999 on Flora and Fauna Preservation. 

Goodbye To Foreign Flag Fishing Vessels?

      Ministry of Maritime Affairs Director General for Sea Fishing Husni Manggabarani announced on April 25 that Indonesia will cease issuance and renewal of foreign fishing vessel operating licenses by 2007.  There currently are 712 foreign fishing vessels licensed to operate in Indonesian waters and its exclusive economic zone: 114 Philippine, 302 Thai and 280 Chinese.  Philippine vessel operating licenses will expire in 2005, Thai in 2006, and Chinese in 2007.  Ministry of Maritime Affairs Director General for Promotion and Marketing Soempeno Putro told the press on April 8 that Indonesia loses roughly US$ 8 billion in stolen fish every year to illegal foreign fishing vessels mostly originating from Thailand, China and the Philippines.

Indonesian Fishing Vessels Seized

     In an April 11-20 "Operation Clearwater", Australian Royal Australian Navy vessels seized 27 Indonesian boats with capacity of 5-10 gross tons (GT) each off the country's north coast.  Fifteen of the boats seized in Australia's Gulf of Carpentaria were large vessels capable of storing fish on ice.  Two boats had one ton of fish and prized shark fin each.  Australian Minister of Fisheries Ian Macdonald told the local media that the operation involved 300 government personnel, including GOI officials from the Directorate General for Customs and Excise, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Customs Office, and the Directorate General for Marine Resources and Fishery Surveillance.  One GOI official noted the operation was a follow-up of Minister Macdonald's letter to Indonesian Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Fredy Numberi requesting his help in combating illegal fishing (especially for sharks) in Australian waters. 

     According to press reports, Minister Macdonald said that based on the evidence found, illegal fishing by Indonesian vessels is a large-scale and well-organized commercial operation.  The seized boats were equipped with sophisticated navigation technology, such as GPS, radar, sonar and ice storage.  Most of the crewmembers captured will reportedly be repatriated to Indonesia soon.  The skippers and ringleaders face charges that carry fines of p to 250,000 Australian dollars (US$ 190,000).  Macdonald added that most of the captured boats would be destroyed.

U.S. Helps Conserve Environment in Aceh

     The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a US$ 64,000 grant to the NGO Fauna and Flora International-Indonesia (FFI) on April 20, 2005.  FFI will use the funds to provide emergency assistance to the nature conservation department in Aceh Province and local stakeholders in Aceh Jaya district.  The funds will also assist local stakeholders in integrating environmental concerns into post-disaster recovery programs, and strengthening the capacity of the nature conservation department in Banda Aceh and Aceh Jaya to protect the Ulu Masen forest complex. 

National Geographic Launches Indonesian Edition

     Publishing group Kompas-Gramedia launched its first   Indonesian language version of National Geographic on April 4, 2005 in Jakarta.  President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono autographed the front cover of the first edition and symbolically launched the magazine.  The President said he hoped the magazine would contribute knowledge and science that would improve national education, promote a deeper understanding of Indonesia’s geography, and enhance awareness and knowledge on natural disasters.

    The Executive Vice President of Board of the U.S.-based National Geographic Society Terrence B. Adamson also attended the launching.  He noted the trademark yellow border on the cover of the magazine represents a “window to the world.”  The Indonesian edition is the fifth in Asia, after China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand, and is priced at Rp 40,000 (USD 4.21).

Primatologists Meet in Jakarta

     The South East Asian Primatological Association (SEAPA) held its first congress in Jakarta April 4-7, 2005.   Participants discussed a range of issues including the critical status of protected fauna, especially primates, illegal trade in wildlife, and the importance of establishing a network of primatology experts and promoting cross-country cooperation.  The congress was a follow-up to an agreement signed in Turin, Italy, in August 2004.  Representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Laos attended and elected Indonesian primatologist Jatna Supriatna as SEAPA President. 

GLOBE Program Director Visits Indonesia

     On April 10-12, the Director of NASA's “Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment” (GLOBE) program, Dr. Craig Blurton, visited Jakarta to explore Indonesia’s possible participation in the program.  The GLOBE program is a hands-on, school-based science and education program that unites students, teachers, and scientists in study and research about the dynamics of the Earth’s environment.  Blurton met with officials from Ministry of Education, State Ministry of Environment, State Ministry of Research and Technology and the National University of Jakarta (Universitas Negeri Jakarta). The GLOBE program is in the process of developing an ASEAN-wide regional consortium of partner countries, and a delegation from ASEAN visited the GLOBE program office in April 2005. 

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