The vast majority of environmental and natural resource problems in Indonesia stem from structural inadequacies. Natural resources are considered only in terms of their ability to be removed from the natural environment for the purpose of economic gain. Institutions and policies are not designed to ensure environmental sustainability and the natural environment is seen as an issue peripheral to the management of Indonesia’s forests, minerals, lands and foodstuffs. The value and services the natural environment provides to communities is also ignored, and the impacts of environmental degradation on people are rarely anticipated or prioritized by the government and industry.
Community rights
At the same time, communities are denied access to their own lands and kept out of natural resource decision-making processes. Communities rarely benefit from increases to services or income. While royalties and taxes are paid to the government, these don’t filter down to the local community.
WALHI is working towards a “democratization” of resource management. “Democratic” resource management means communities have rights to information and to participate in decision-making processes. They should also have the ability to veto natural resource extraction projects in their areas, and access to justice to redress problems if they occur.
WALHI is also working to reform the legal, policy and institutional frameworks that govern natural resources. The work ties in with issues like forestry, mining and other WALHI campaigns. As part of this campaign, WALHI is calling for a Natural Resources Management Act, which would act as an umbrella law to govern decisions relating to all the different natural resource sectors like mining and forestry. This Act would ensure Indonesian peoples’ rights to their livelihood resources and sustaining the environment take precedence over the profit of trans-national corporations or corrupt government officials.
Dedicated departments
In the same vein, WALHI is calling for an integrated department to deal with environment and natural resources. Currently there is only a State Ministry for the Environment, who operates from Jakarta, without any regional or local offices to oversee environmental management. This is unlike the Departments of Forestry and Mining, which operate extensively throughout the Indonesian Archipelago.
The role of this department would be to ensure that permits for natural resource extraction like forestry and mining are granted within the capacity of the natural environment. WALHI is also calling for the establishment of a protection agency to manage environmental standards. Current existing authorities are small and poorly funded and lack the ability to deal with breaches in environmental capacity or punish polluters.
Conflict resolution
Before sustainable management of Indonesia’s natural resources can be achieved, existing conflicts between local communities and companies or governments must be resolved. Communities all over Indonesia have suffered violence, had their lands forcibly taken from them and their access to their environment and livelihood sources cut off. This almost always happens without prior informed consent and communities receive little or no benefits, royalties or compensation from the extraction of the natural resources in their area. This is evidenced by the high poverty levels of areas like Aceh, which generates up to US$1.5 billion in oil and gas revenues alone each year.
WALHI is advocating the establishment of a commission to deal especially with conflicts over natural resources. The role of this body would be to assess different community appeals for reparations or grievances for past conflicts. Until the establishment of such a commission is possible, WALHI is working with the Human Rights commission to seek justice for abuses to community rights.
For more information, please contact:
Helvi Lystiani
Information and Communications (National Office)
Email Helvi Lystiani
Telepon kantor: +62-(0)21-791 93 363
Mobile:
Fax: +62-(0)21-794 1673
Source : http://www.eng.walhi.or.id/kampanye/psda/reform_psda_info/
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