An Indonesian decree allowing mining companies to operate in tropical forests
is unlikely to lead to massive deforestation, a forestry expert and government
officials said on Tuesday arguing that mining had a limited impact.
Under a presidential decree issued on Feb. 4, mining firms, including open-pit
miners, will be able to pay between 1.8 million and 2.4 million rupiah
($200-$265) per hectare (2.5 acres) for forest land used for activities such as
housing, roads, mine sites and waste dumps.
The decree has alarmed environmental groups concerned about Indonesia's rapid
deforestation.
The country had the fastest pace of deforestation in the world between
2000-2005, according to Greenpeace, with an area of forest equivalent to 300
soccer pitches destroyed every hour.
Krystof Obidzinski, a researcher with the Centre for International Forestry
Research (CIFOR), said historically mining had never been a ...