SIR – The claim that Haiti’s natural disasters are both a cause and consequence of the misery of the country’s poor is plausible and compelling (“Inundated[6]”, September 25th). But the idea that peasant farmers chop down trees allowing water to run off the hillsides taking the topsoil with it and thus causing floods does not reflect the facts. Studies show that forests do mitigate floods linked to small storms. For larger and more damaging events, such as tropical storm Jeanne, there is little evidence that forests offer real benefits. Whatever the land use the rainfall has to run somewhere. In extreme hurricane conditions it is also not clear whether forests reduce erosion much. Landslips still occur on steep slopes, forested or not. On forested slopes there may be the additional problem of washed-away trees destroying bridges and blocking culverts, exacerbating flood damage. Reforestation is unlikely to reduce Haiti’s problems with flooding, and repressive efforts to stop small farmers from collecting wood for fuel could make a bad situation worse.

MALINAU-Hutan sangat penting bagi kehidupan manusia di masa depan. Oleh sebab itu, diperlukan adanya regerasi hutan baik secara alami atau buatan. Untuk itu, Malinau Researt Forest (MRF) Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) bersama Badan Penelitian dan Pengembangan (Litbang) Kehutanan Bogor sejak September lalu mengadakan pengamatan mengenai proses regerasi hutan secara alami khususnya di bekas tebangan di Malinau.

Environment experts are exploiting the role of decentralised forest management in poverty alleviation.

A three-day forum on decentralized forest management in Central Africa jointly organised by The Center for International Forest Research (CIFOR) and The World Resources Institute (WRI) at the Conference Centre in Yaounde wraps up today. Participants at the seminar assessed the need of decentralised forest activities in alleviating poverty as well as the participation of the local population in forest activities. Aimed at giving a good understanding of decentralised forest, focus was on the Central African Republic, Gabon and Congo with reference to Cameroon. These countries are in the Congo Basin which is the second largest ecosystem after the Amazon.

As the world’s largest timber importing country, lots of illegally felled trees from Indonesia allegedly end up in Japan. In order to prevent the trade of illegal timber or other wood-based products, action from timber-buying countries, such as Japan is urgently needed. The Jakarta Post’s Rendi A. Witular spoke with Japan’s senior vice minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, Ichiro Ichikawa, about Japan’s policies intended to prevent the trade of illegal timber from Indonesia. The discussion was on the sidelines of a recent workshop held by the Asian Forest Partnership (AFP) in Yogyakarta. Below are excerpts. Question: What is Japan’s policy when it comes to preventing trade of illegally felled timber?

Target Produksi Kayu Turun 3 Juta Meter Kubik
SAMARINDA- "Lima tahun lalu target produksi kayu di Kaltim adalah 5 juta meter kubik, sekarang menurun menjadi 3 juta meter kubik," ujar Kepala Dinas Kehutanan Kaltim Ir H Robian MSi ketika mendampingi Sekretaris Provinsi Kaltim Drs H Syaiful Teteng MHum menjamu tamu dari Jepang. Sebanyak 10 anggota parlemen Jepang disertai anggota rombongan lainnya, melakukan kunjungan ke Kaltim. Rombongan yang diketuai Toshikatsu Matsuoka itu diterima Syaiful Teteng di Ruang Tepian Kantor Gubernur. Rabu (1/9) kemarin.

A booming economy has not only made China thirsty for oil and minerals but also forestry products, which could be fueling the illegal trade of the commodity from Indonesia, according to a non-governmental organization. Director of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) David Kaimowitz said China’s astonishing economic growth had threatened the sustainability of the Indonesian forests as Indonesian exporters were racing to tap market opportunities in China.

Jepang Ikut Pengelolaan Hutan Lestari Bersama Indonesia

YOGYAKARTA – Pemerintah tengah mengupayakan agar Jepang tidak mewujudkan ancamannya memboikot produk pulp (bubur kertas) Indonesia. Pemerintah kini tengah mengklarifikasi tuduhan sejumlah lembaga swadaya masyarakat (LSM) Jepang, yang menyebutkan bahwa banyak produsen pulp Indonesia membeli kayu ilegal, dan merusak lingkungan dalam proses produksi. Demikian dikatakan Kepala Pusat Informasi Kehutanan Departemen Kehutanan RI, Transtoto Handadhari, di sela-sela workshop bertajuk "Regional on Strengthening Asia Forest Partnership", di Yogyakarta, Senin (30/8).