PONTIANAK - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) together with the Provincial Government of West Kalimantan and parties from academia and NGOs conducted a Kalimantan Regional Public Consultation related to the preparation of the Draft Law (Bill) Amendment to Law Number 5 of 1990, in Pontianak, Tuesday, March 22, 2016.

Law No. 5/1990 on the Conservation of Living Natural Resources and Ecosystems is 26 years old. This law was initially able to protect conservation areas and protected species quite effectively. However, in its later development, Law No. 5/1990 needs to be readjusted considering the many changes that have occurred in almost three decades. Social conflicts due to the designation or establishment of conservation areas often occur, as well as conflicts between humans and wildlife. On the other hand, this law has not been able to accommodate the recognition of several natural resource conservation management practices and initiatives at the community level based on local wisdom.

This law also has not yet reached genetic resources which are potential biodiversity that should also be the object of conservation.

"Efforts to revise Law No. 5/1990 have been initiated since 2003, until the DPR RI and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry agreed in 2015 to push the revision of Law No. 5/1990 into the 2016 Priority National Legislation Program (Prolegnas)," said Ministerial Expert Staff for Inter-Agency Relations, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ilyas Asaad. "To facilitate the formulation of the revision of this law, KLHK has formed a Bill Drafting Team consisting of various parties," continued Ilyas Asaad.

The Bill Drafting Team has produced an Academic Manuscript Document and a draft Bill on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation. The draft Academic Paper is not only a refinement of Law No. 5/1990 but also includes the substance of the Genetic Resources Bill. So far, the Drafting Team has conducted a series of public consultations in several regions, namely: Java (Jakarta), Sumatra (Medan), Sulawesi (Makassar) and Papua (Jayapura) as a medium for socializing the Draft Bill on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation as well as capturing input from the public on the draft. Input from the public, both in the implementation of Public Consultation and post-activity will be used as material by the Bill Drafting Team to improve the Draft Bill.

"Public consultation activities in the Kalimantan Region are aimed at the same spirit, with the aim of socializing and obtaining Kalimantan public input on the draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation Bill, in order to enrich the material and substance of this bill as a contribution from various parties in Kalimantan, including in law enforcement efforts related to conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems," said Sustyo Iriyono, Head of the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Center.

The Public Consultation was organized by KLHK, in collaboration with the West Kalimantan Provincial Government, the Community Forestry Communication Forum (FKKM), WWF-Indonesia, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) Indonesia Program, Titian Foundation, and GIZ-FORCLIME.

For more information, please contact:

BKSDA West Kalimantan
Hayunieta
HP: 081228080811
Email: hayunieta@gmail.com
WWF-Indonesia:
Albertus Tjiu
HP: 08125624019
Email: albertus@wwf.id

GIZ-FORCLIME:
Ismet Khaeruddin
HP: 081354392662
Email: ismet.khaeruddin@giz.de