Regents do not understand climate change: Minister
Regents do not understand climate change: Minister
02 February 2011
published by www.thejakartapost.com
Indonesia — Indonesias forests are poorly managed because many regents do not understand the impacts of climate change, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said Tuesday.
Many regents do not understand, let alone the villagers, Zulkifli said in Jakarta in a discussion on the results of research on climate change, tempointeraktif.com reported Tuesday.
He said the regional leaders poor understanding of climate change had been apparent at several events, including when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Bangka Belitung recently.
“The regents did not understand the Presidents speech, he said.
It is not surprising that many forests in the area were converted into plantations using the slash-and-burn burning system, he said.
Such practices should be banned, he said, adding that forests serve as carbon sinks.
The fact that regents apparently did not understand climate change was alarming because they are supposed to protect the environment in accordance with the law, Zulkifli said.
