Minister of Forestry Zulkifli Hasan considered illegal mining and plantations have been massively destroying forest. Persuasive enforcements are difficult to do, therefore the Ministry of Forestry require stronger enforcement on the law. This problem was stated after the minister chaired a meeting of first-echelon leaders in Ministry of Forestry, Jakarta, Monday (08/16/2010). Until now, only 10 governors responded to the Minister of Forestry letter Number S.95/Menhut-IV/2010 dated February 22 requesting report related to the encroachment of forest in each region.

"Illegal mining and encroachment by such massive plantation was not an easy discourse. There are no choice and by law must be enforced, this matter is being processed and being consider its next steps," said Zulkifli Hasan.

Currently, there are 20 million hectares of forest area which previously were ex-forest concessions (HPH), which were not obliged to have permission and handed over to local government to be supervised. However, weak supervision had trigging the forest estate changed its functions, including 3 million hectares of plantation forests that have become illegal plantation.

Ten governors who have reported about forest encroachment in their respective area were North Sumatra (23 cases of illegal plantation), East Kalimantan (42 cases of plantation and 181 cases of mining), Southeast Sulawesi (6 cases of illegal plantations and mines), Lampung (five cases of illegal mining), Central Kalimantan (456 cases of illegal mine and 964.000 hectares of illegal plantation), Bangka Belitung (87 illegal mines and plantations), Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (49 cases of illegal mining), West Papua (13 cases of illegal mining), Papua ( 7 cases of illegal mining), and Bali (58 certificates issued to the forest).

According to the Ministry of Forestry, progress on the reports will be evaluated and its realization on the field will also be monitored. Ministry of Forestry urged the measures on law enforcement should be conducted simultaneously, so the effort to reduce deforestation and land degradation can be successful.

"We will coordinate with the Task Force for Combating Law Mafia and the joint team on forest law enforcement, so the incoming reports will be followed up regularly. I do not want to be treated but there are no definite steps or no results," said Zulkifli. Forest law enforcement had become a key demand. Weak supervision and expansion area which lack of calculation on the support capacity of the area had increased the pressure on forests.

This problem also occurs in Gunung Leuser National Park in North Sumatra and Aceh. At least 15.000 hectares of production forests in the buffer area of TNGL (Gunung Leuser National Park) have been encroach by oil palm planters and only 7000 hectares had returned to the government through the Leuser Ecosystem Management Authority (BPKEL).

General Director of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHKA) Darori added, the law enforcement team will be dispatched to the field. Darori had sent letters to head of districts who never report about forest encroachment on its territory to prepare the data to be presented in front of the central law enforcement team. "They will be obliged to expose violations of forest area within their area. We will start from Kalimantan. It was not easy to enforce this forestry law," said Darori. (Kompas)